Mrs. Hunter passed away at 103

Most native Fredericksburgers know who Mrs. Hunter is. Mrs. Hunter lives right across Hanover Street from where my grandmother lives. My sons used to play with her wheelchair, and Jonathan loved to play with the break and Mrs. Hunter never once seemed to mind.

I have a lot of good Mrs. Hunter stories. When Jonathan was first born, Mrs. Hunter and the nurses across the street were keen on seeing the new baby, so we took a trip next door to visit. Mrs. Hunter held Jon as best she could, then the nurses scooped him up and started playing with him. I talked to Mrs. Hunter awhile on the porch, and she talked about her health at the time and such.

Then she made a comment that stuck with me. She said, “Shaun, you’re a good man. Most people don’t realize that when you get old it’s your body that lets you down, but your brain is still good.” She looked at me with a smile and grinned. I knew what she was trying to say too – and I think she was appreciative of the company. It was only afterwards that she bragged about her sons owning the Free Lance-Star.

My grandmother had a story during the first few years of when she had first moved into the house on Weedon Street. It was about Christmastime, and Mr. and Mrs. Hunter realized that there was no Christmas tree in the main room as there had been in previous years. So Mrs. Hunter waited and waited for the Christmas tree to go up – and no tree. 22nd, 23rd, 24th. . . finally Mrs. Hunter told her husband to go get a tree so that my mother and uncles would have a Christmas tree that year. When Mr. Hunter arrived at the door with a tree, my grandfather invited him in. . . and showed him the tree on the other room of the house where the Hunters could not see. A good laugh had by all, but it shows the generosity Mrs. Hunter had towards others, including my family.

Mrs. Hunter was a good lady. I knew her as a small child, and she had a great habit later on of waving at the trolleys that most people ignore. She had plenty of stories. She remembered the horse and buggy era. She remembered when the old kitchen to the Rowe House used to stand where my grandmother’s house stands today (and you can still see the foundation stone).

Mrs. Hunter was a good lady. Her reminder of the days past in Fredericksburg will be sorely missed.