Obituary of William S. Hunter

STAR LAKE- William "Bill" Schmidt Hunter, PE, age 85 of Star Lake, passed away on Monday, April 4, 2016 at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, NY. Calling hours for Bill will be on Friday, April 8, 2016 from 3:00-5:00 and 7:00-9:00 p.m. at French Family Funeral Home in Star Lake. His funeral mass will be on Saturday, April 9, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Hubert's Catholic Church. Internment will be at Blair Memorial Park in Bellwood, PA on Saturday, April 16, at 11:00 a.m. Condolences may be shared online at www.frenchfuneralhomes.com. Bill was born on March 24, 1931 in Bellwood, PA to the late William F. and Mary (Schmidt) Hunter. He graduated from Bellwood Antis High School in 1949 and then went on to graduate from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA in 1953, where he received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Bill was the Vice President of Engineering at the Newton Falls Paper Mill in Newton Falls, NY, where he worked for 17 years until his retirement in 1997. He had previously worked at West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company of Tyrone and Williamsburg, PA, and at Hammermill Paper Company in Erie, PA. Bill was the treasurer of the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corporation in Wanakena and during that time he was active in the growth of the hospital and the acquisition of the Adirondack Pharmacy. He was appointed by the Town of Fine to serve on the Clifton-Fine Hospital Board of Directors, where he served for twelve years, including a period of time as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was past member of the Lion's Club, present member of the Local Knights of Columbus, and a lifetime member of the Society of Mechanical Engineers. He always enjoyed a challenging engineering project, and took pride in building and using his raft for enjoyment on Star Lake. Bill married Barbara R. Crosland on April 16, 1955 in Bethlehem, PA. She passed away on March 15, 1959. He married Sandra Lee Showalter on August 26, 1961 in Williamsburg, PA. Sandra passed away on September 14, 1991. Bill married Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Trevithick Tyson on September 6, 1997. Surviving are his wife, Beth; two daughters and their husbands, Felicia and Robert Morrice and Patricia Hunter and Darwin Kysor; Beth's two daughters, Patricia and Paul Sokol and Suzanne Fancher; a sister, Nancy Melisi; six grandchildren, Roman, Connor, Summer, and Pierce Hunter-Kysor, Zachary Sokol, and Suzielyn Fancher; a great-granddaughter, Aubrey, and he was known affectionately as "Papa" by Kaddie, Jahna, and Kenny. Bill is predeceased by a daughter, Clarissa "Carrie" Hunter-Tate, a granddaughter, Riley Schmidt Hunter-Kysor; a great-granddaughter, Brooklyn, and a brother-in-law, Stephen Melisi. Donations may be made in Bill's memory to the Wilderness Health Care Foundation of Clifton-Fine Hospital, Star Lake Fire and Rescue, or to St. Hubert's Catholic Church.