John Granville Hunter

John Granville Hunter, 86, passed away at home surrounded by family on August 13, 2024. He was born May 24, 1938 to Jesse and Mildred Hunter in Cedar Rapids, IA, where he grew up the eldest of three sons. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1956 and later attended the University of Iowa where he participated in the wrestling program for 2 years. He married Maneta Baker in 1958 and had three children Tracie Morgan (Terry), Kim Jensen (Stan) and Jeff Hunter (Natalie). During this time, he worked at Rockwell Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids IA. 

Maneta and John parted ways in 1962. He met Eleanor Thorson (Hamad) who had 5 children, Eric Hamad (Stacy), Lori Sweeney (Kurt), David Hamad (Kim), Jill Vane (Joe) and Robyn Hamad. John and Eleanor married in 1963 which formed a blended family of both of their children. In 1966, their daughter, Bethany Horn (Aaron) was born, making it a large family of nine children. During this time John had a successful career as a business manager for IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) where he was elected as business manager for the union. During his time working for the IBEW he arbitrated settlements and negotiated contracts.

During the summer of 1976 John moved the family to Utah where he worked in automotive sales and a short time later became part owner in the dealership. A few years later, John was offered a career selling real estate in the Sanpete County area so he moved his family to Mt Pleasant Utah where they lived on a ranch a few miles out of town. 

John and Eleanor parted ways in 1981. On November 27, 1982 John married the love of his life, Becky Ottoson who had a daughter Mekesha Boger (Wes). John and Becky added another child to their family with Creed Hunter (Brittany) in 1986. They lived in Pebble Beach, California where John sold businesses in the area and later worked as a stock broker for Merrill Lynch and LPL. 

John and Becky moved to St.George, Utah in 2000 where he retired. He spent his time bluffing at poker games and played several tournaments, including the World Series of Poker. John loved watching professional baseball and college sports, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was passionate about discussing politics with the locals, obsessively following the stock market, and always enjoyed giving advice to anyone who would listen. John’s gregarious personality allowed him to make many long term friendships throughout the years, including his dearest friend Doug Heiden (Mesquite). John was always the life of the party and well known for his comedic faces. John celebrated the ‘culinary arts’ at home later in his life, always ensuring a delightful breakfast for overnight visitors. But John’s best quality was his big heart, always there for anyone in need. 

John was preceded in death by his parents, great grandson Michael, granddaughter Liberty, great grandson Drake, son in law Terry and brother Christopher (Kip) who passed away August 2, 2024. He is survived by his dedicated wife, all his 11 children, 26 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren