Frank W. Hunter
December 19, 1921 – September 5, 2012
On September 5, 2012, Frank W. Hunter, 90, passed away peacefully in his Goleta home. Frank was one of eight (8) children. He went to a Catholic orphanage in the San Francisco Bay Area when his mother, Gabrial Lorenzo of Genoa, Italy, died of cancer when he was five years old.
Later, he and his younger brother were sent to foster homes. Frank married his Fremont High School sweetheart, June Tregaskis, in Oakland, California. Together they had five children: Jerry Hunter, Phil Hunter, Linda Hughes, Karen Hunter, and Marelyn Newman.
Lieutenant Hunter was a WWII Air Force Pilot (7th Bombardment Group (H) who flew B-24 bombers over the China/Burma/India “Hump”. He was awarded a Purple Heart for leg/ankle injuries after his plane was shot down by enemy fire over China.
After the war, Frank worked as a Southern Pacific Railroad ticket clerk before becoming a Passenger Agent on the “Shasta Daylight”. He rode the rails between Oakland and Portland for many years. When the railroad cut back, he then worked for the California Farm Travel Bureau in Berkeley, California, escorting tours around the world with U.S. and International Farm Bureau Members.
After retiring at the age of 60 and spending 10 years in Baja, Mexico, golfing with his friend Margaret Van Meter, he moved to Sonora, California, to live near his daughter, Karen. Frank and Karen fished almost every weekend during the fishing season.
In 2007, he moved to Goleta to be near his daughter, Karen, again. While living in Goleta, he enjoyed visiting the Friendship Center, walks at Lake Los Carneros, and watching golf tournaments every Sunday.
Just recently, Frank was honored to be one of the first 60 Veterans accepted to reside at the brand new Veterans Home of California on the West Los Angeles VA campus across from UCLA. The State of California collaborated with the Federal Government, who donated the land, to build the newest state-of-the-art Veterans Home in California. The building was designed with a new skilled nursing floor especially for dementia patients like Frank.
Frank has been under the compassionate and loving care of his medical team: Dr. Robert Harbaugh, Dr. L. Joseph Mietus, the local VA Outpatient Clinic, and Hospice; and the Hunter Family is forever grateful.
He is survived by one sister who resides in Northern California, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Despite many hardships and challenges, he managed to be successful in his endeavors as did all of his seven (7) siblings.
A memorial luncheon will be held on September 28, 2012 at Glen Annie Golf Club.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA/Hospice.
Arrangements Entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary