John M. Hunter, 63, of Gower, Missouri, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Veteran’s Day, Saturday, 11 November 2017 after a two year battle against mesothelioma.  Born June 19, 1954 in Kansas City, MO, he was the son of the late Wilbert and Erminia Hunter.

 

John graduated East Buchanan High School in 1972 and quickly joined the Navy to be part of the Vietnam evacuation.  During his time in the Navy, he travelled the  globe but ultimately landed in Alameda, CA where he met and married his sweetheart Debbie DiNapoli of Huntington Beach.  They started their family in Huntington  Beach and decided to move back to John’s home state and made their home in Gower, MO where they lived for 19 years.  In 1995, they moved back to Huntington Beach, CA where they would live for the rest of his days.

 

John was a skilled and talented person, capable of just about anything.  In his lifetime, he worked as an auto mechanic, owned his own business (The Pit Stop), guest wrote news columns for the Beaver News, managed a small family business that modified automobiles for those with disabilities, remodeled houses, built custom  furniture, and was a field technician for AT&T running fiber optics and phone lines.

 

More than that, he was a kind and fun loving person who was the first to offer a hand to anyone who needed it.  He somehow always had the correct answer to the most challenging issues and he always kept you on your toes with his never-ending sense of humor and practical jokes.  John enjoyed his family and friends, he was a great photographer, and loved taking motorcycle trips all over the west coast.   

John is survived by his wife Debbie Hunter, their three children, and five grandchildren: Chris and his wife Toni, and their two sons Caleb and Noah, Jennifer and her
husband Erbie and their three children Justyce, Trinity, and Layton, and Bryan.  He is also survived by his sister Mary Testerman, his brother Bob Hunter, his sister Patty Anderson and her husband Danny, his brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws Mike and Angie DiNapoli, Dave and Dina Harke, Vince and Carrie DiNapoli, Alison DiNapoli and his nieces and nephews Melissa, Mark, Anita, Mandy, Megan, Glenn, Casey, Lizzy, Danielle, Nick, Jackie, Kristen, Natalie, and Ricky and their spouses and all of his great nieces and nephews.  John was preceded in death by his daughter Alicia, his brother-in-law Mike Testerman, and his brother Wilbert Jr. 

 

A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, November 22 starting at 4:00 pm at the Hixson-Klein Funeral Home in Gower, MO with a reception to follow at the
American Legion.