George Edwards Hunt, Jr.

The final day of George Edwards Hunt, Jr.’s long goodbye was March 2, 2020. George was born November 21, 1946, the seventh of eight children born to George E. Hunt, Sr. and Evelyn Kelly Hunt, and he lived most of his 73 years in Franklin County. After graduating from FCHS in 1965, he served for a short time in the Army, as a dental technician, stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. After the Army, George worked as retail store manager for Standard Drug Company out of Richmond, moving around to several areas of Virginia, including a store in Newport News where he met his future wife, Anne. In 1970, George returned to Franklin County to attend Virginia Western Community College for two years. He and Anne married in 1972, and he continued his education at Virginia Tech, graduating in 1974 with a degree in Business Management. Beginning with Farm Credit in Staunton, George worked in banking in Dublin and Wytheville before returning to Franklin County to work for Central Fidelity Bank, and then Carter Bank & Trust, retiring from Carter in 2015. Throughout his adult life, George gave back to his community. He and Anne were in the Rotary Club in Staunton, and when their children were attending Burnt Chimney Elementary School, George served as president of the PTO. He became active in the Lions Club at Smith Mountain Lake, serving as president and worked to start the SML Lions Scholarship Fund. He was on the founding board of the Franklin County YMCA, and was one of the founders of the Franklin County Football Club, also serving as president. He spearheaded the fundraising effort for the first Eagle Express bus to transport FCHS sports teams to away games. George was the MC for countless reverse raffles to raise funds for sports, scholarships, and other worthy causes. He knew everybody in the county and it seemed everybody knew and liked him. He was also a member of the Boones Mill Lions Club. George was preceded in death by his parents, five sisters, Angelia Naff, Joyce Heath, Bonnie Ciccone, Reba Taylor, and Edith Barnhart, four brothers-in-law Pete Snyder, Charles Heath, Wesley Naff and Lloyd Taylor, and a nephew, Jeffrey Taylor. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Anne Koman Hunt, his daughter, Allison Lampley, his son, George E. Hunt, III (Becky), five grandchildren, Donny and Braeden Lampley, Elijah, Caroline and Sydney Hunt, his beloved sister, Georgia Anne Snyder-Falkinham (Joe), his brother and best friend, Charles (Sandy), brothers and sisters-in-law Dr. Alvin J. Ciccone (Karen), Richard Barnhart, Dirk Koman (Elsie), Jan Koman (Kathy), Joel Koman (Linda), and dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews. George’s long goodbye began in earnest in 2017 when cognitive impairment began to rob him of many of life’s pleasures, but it never stole his love for his family or their love for him or their appreciation of all that he has given his parents, siblings, wife, children, grandchildren, extended family and community. He was always a true Hokie to his core, and he could always fry the best chicken, grow the tastiest tomatoes, sell the most 50/50 tickets, and chop the biggest stockpile of firewood in Franklin County. His family expresses love and sincere appreciation to the doctors, nurses, aides and staff at Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke for caring for George on his long goodbye journey. Visitation will be at Flora Funeral Home at 665 S. Main Street, Rocky Mount, VA on Wednesday, March 4th from 6 – 8 pm. Funeral will be on Thursday, March 5th at 11:00 a.m. at Rocky Mount United Methodist Church, 35 N. Main Street, Rocky Mount with Rev. Will Waller officiating. Interment with military honors will follow at Franklin Memorial Park.