William Alfred Hunt

Mr. William Alfred Hunt, of Gulf Breeze, FL, was born February 18, 1928, in Indianapolis, Indiana to Alfred and Blanche Hunt. "Sonny", as his mother Blanche referred to him, was raised in Guin, Alabama and played football for East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi. He then transferred to Athens College and played football until he enlisted for the Alabama National Guard and was called to serve his country, spending two years in Korea with the 1343rd Engineer Combat Battalion. After receiving an honorable discharge, Bill went to Auburn University and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Building Science. In 1957, following their first date, Bill told Ann Moore that he was going to marry her and six months later, he did just that. Bill and Ann spent 60 years building a business and raising a family together. He started out as a General Contractor with Guin & Hunt, then formed Gulf-Atlantic Constructors in 1972. With only a single piece of equipment and an operator, he built the business into a thriving site work construction business.

Bill had several philanthropic endeavors; he was a member of Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church and volunteered on many committees including the Building Committee and Board of Trustees. He was a lifetime Board of Directors member of Baptist Hospital and Gulf Breeze Hospital and was honored with the Hollinger Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004. His love of Auburn led to his involvement of the Building Science department where he established the William A. Hunt ’55 Endowment for Scholarships and two Endowed Professorships in the McWhorter School of Building Science. As a General Contractor, Bill was active in the Association of General Contractors (AGC). He served in many positions and committees as well as the National Board of Directors for AGC which honored him with the Alabama Hall of Fame Award in 2002. As an active member in the Gulf Breeze Rotary, he served as a Paul Harris Fellow and of all his awards and accomplishments, Bill was most proud of his Business in Ethics award from Rotary International. He was also a member of the Irish Politicians Club and the Pensacola Yacht Club. He was a humble man who embodied servant leadership and held doing the right thing and helping others as his prime objective.

Bill is preceded in death by his father Alfred Hunt, his mother Blanche Guin, and his two sisters, Mary Applegate, and Dot Frye. Bill is survived by his wife Ann, and his six daughters: Elizabeth Puckett (Bill), Diane Stricklin (Steve), Rebecca Farmer (Danny), Pamela Caddell (Phil), Cynthia Russell (Mike), and Angela Bledsoe (Shane). He had 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

The family would like to express our appreciation to our angel, Kim Morris, who cherished and cared for Bill during his final few years. We were also blessed with and would like to thank Bill's other caregivers: Tara, Jennifer, and Lilly. We are also grateful for Cheree from Regency Hospice who took care of his medical needs over these last two years.

Visitation will be held at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel on Sunday, December 29 from 6 to 7 pm. A celebration of life service will be held at Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church on Monday, December 30, 2019. Visitation will be from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, with the service starting at 2:00 pm. Graveside service for immediate family will take place at Bayview Park after the service. Bayview Fisher-Pou is entrusted with the arrangements. Memorials may be made to any of the organizations that Bill was involved with.