NATICK: John Edward Hunde, age 91, a decorated World War II veteran and longtime Natick resident, died peacefully on Wednesday night, July 11, 2012, at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
He was the beloved husband of Beverly (Ward) Barber Hunde for forty years.
Born, raised and educated in Springfield, he was the son of the late Eva Hunde Lee. John was with the US Forestry Department before served with the Army in the 100th Infantry Division during World War II. A Staff Sergeant, he was involved in campaigns in the Rhineland and Central Europe. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and The Bronze Star Medal for meritorious conduct during combat on July 14, 1945. During the course of his six years of service he was active in the European, African and Middle Eastern Theatres and with the Army of Occupation in Germany until October of 1946.
John was a graduate of Columbia University in the City of New York. He was employed with New England Tel. and Tel. for over 30 years, starting as a cable lineman and steadily working his way through the company to hold a management position in Waltham. John settled in Natick upon marrying Beverly in 1972, and the couple spent seasonal weekends and vacations at their second home in York Beach, Maine. After his retirement, he worked for World Holidays for over 10 years in Wayland. During his tenure there, he and Beverly enjoyed travel to many locations throughout the world. After his “second retirement,” the couple lived several months of the year at the beach in York, Maine. During their forty years of a wonderful fulfilling life together, their love of having dogs made everything complete.
Always fostering his intelligence, John read voraciously making weekly visits to the Morse Institute to renew his supply of material. He was a jack-of-all-trades. If he weren’t immediately comfortable with a project, he’d read up on the topic until he was confident enough to tackle it. John wrote a book of his own, as yet unpublished, which incorporates his World War II experiences in the narrative. A welcoming and family oriented man, he is remembered standing tall with his warm smile and light gray hair swaying in the wind like a flag waving proudly on its mast.
He is survived by Beverly; two daughters, Pamela Wilderman of Marlborough, and Debbie Barber Donovan and partner Wayne Wilk of No. Framingham; three sons, Paul Bartolucci of TX, Richard Barber Jr. and wife Rhonda of NH, and Bill Barber and wife Sheri of Marshfield; ten grandchildren, Andrew, Adina, Keith, Karrie, Katie, Samantha, Sydney, Sasha, Donna, and Tina, to whom he was known as “Pepe”; his great-granddaughter, Ashlin; and many nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Lillian (Connell) Hunde.
His funeral will be held in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street on Natick Common, Natick, on Wed., July 18th at 11:00a.m. Visiting hours will be Tuesday 4 – 7p.m.
Donations may be made in John’s memory to the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital, 2014 Washington St, Newton, MA 02462.