Alexander H. Hunt

Yarmouth, Maine – Alexander Hamilton Hunt was born to Kyle and Ardessa Hunt in Waelder, Texas, on September 2, 1926, on the family farm which he loved and continued to spend time on up until his last years. He died January 30, 2021, in Yarmouth, Maine at the age of 94. He graduated valedictorian of Solomon Coles High School in Corpus Christi in 1942, at the age of 16. He enrolled in Prairie View A&M College that same year and, to serve in World War II, joined the Marines as soon as he could 2 years later (without his parents’ permission!). He was stationed at Montford Point, (then the camp for Black Marines) and from there, to Guam where he served for another year. He returned to Prairie View, graduated in 1948, and entered the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was posted to Gifu, Japan, 24th Infantry Regiment, and on to Korea where he fought with his unit, was injured, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart, and evacuated to Japan for medical care. It was there that his life changed dramatically. He saw his beautiful future wife’s framed photograph in her uncle’s room, along with other family photographs, and he asked permission to write to her. There began a 3-year courtship through handwritten letters. At the end of 3 years, he mustered up the courage to meet her, proposed and married her 6 months later. There began years of traveling throughout the US and abroad. Their posts included Ft. Benning, Georgia, Ft. Lee, Virginia, where their daughter, Cheryl Alane, was born, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where their daughter, Carla Diane, was born, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and the US Embassy Monrovia, Liberia. A highlight of his time in Liberia was meeting President William Tubman of Liberia, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria. The Washington DC area would become a family hub for years to come. He was posted to the Pentagon, the Armed Forces Staff College and taught at Norfolk State ROTC. He was the Army Attaché to the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos and 2 years later, with his family returning to Washington DC, Alexander served a year-long tour in Vietnam. Upon his return, he completed a 2nd posting to Ft. Benning, and then returned to Washington DC where he studied at the National War College at Ft. McNair, Virginia. During this time, he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East. He retired from the Army after his posting to Ft. Dix, Army Readiness Region, as a full Colonel in 1978. In the course of Alexander’s military career, he received numerous awards and decorations. Among them were 3 awards of the silver star, 1 award of the bronze star, the purple heart, 3 awards of the combat infantryman’s badge, 3 awards of the legion of merit, 2 awards of the Vietnam service medal, 2 awards of the Vietnamese cross of gallantry and several others. Upon retirement, he relocated with his wife to El Paso, Texas, where he worked as the Registrar for the El Paso Community College and twice retired from there. He was active in numerous civic organizations and was a devout, 40-year member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in El Paso. Most recently, he lived with his daughter and her family in Yarmouth, Maine. He was a regular attendee of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Yarmouth. His professional accomplishments belie his many extraordinary personal traits. He deeply loved his family above all, and he was the great encourager and champion for his daughters, his nieces and nephews, his brother and sisters, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He believed in the power of stories and liked to tell family stories and listen to them. On his last living day, he took great joy in enjoying short videos his grandson had made. Alexander believed there were no strangers only friends he had not yet met. Alexander greeted everyone with a big smile, and he made those greetings personal. He was a man of tremendous faith who was steadfastly optimistic, always believing that good would prevail. He was kindhearted, loyal, respectful and respected, joyful and humble. He developed an unbreakable bond with his grandson, Musseit, and his son-in-law, Andrew, when he came to live in Maine. He is predeceased by his parents, the love of his life and wife, Velma Alane, his beloved first born, Cheryl Alane, and his sisters, Ruth and Zelma Grace. He is survived by his daughter, Carla Diane, (Andrew) of Yarmouth, Maine, his sisters, Olivia, (James) and June, his brother, Franklin of Austin and San Antonio, Texas, his grandsons, Musseit, White Salmon, Washington, Clayvon, (Eve), Baltimore, Maryland, Christopher, (Kimberley), Los Angeles, California, Caitlyn, (Katrina) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, great-grandsons, Caleb and Cameron, great-granddaughter, Clover Alane, many, nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family and many extraordinary life-long friends who kept in touch with him all the way through his last years. Alexander was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed. We are grateful to all those who cared for Alexander over the years. A private, military burial will be held at Ft. Bliss, El Paso, Texas, Monday, February 8, 2021, and the family will celebrate his life at a future time when we can all gather safely. Donations in memorial may be made to ¬¬¬Prairie View A&M College.