RALPH B. HUNTER ’43

Ralph Blomeley Hunter of Bradenton, Florida passed away on February 26, 2016. Born on March 29, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Dr. George Henry Vincent Hunter and Emily Blomeley Hunter, Ralph was looking forward to celebrating his 96th birthday. Predeceased by his wife Claire Anderson Hunter in December 2013, Ralph is survived by his son George Bruce Hunter of Miami, Florida; daughter Janet Emily Hunter of Sarasota; sister-in-law Katherine Anne Stoffel of Sarasota; nephew Jeffrey William Stoffel of Bluemont, Virginia; niece Allyson Stoffel Roe of Montclair, New Jersey; and cousin Walter Scott Blomeley, a Korean War veteran, of Bradenton. Ralph grew up and attended schools in Scarsdale, New York, was proud to be an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He served in World War II first in the Army Air Corps as an instrument flying instructor, and as a graduate language specialist in French, and then as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and a combat platoon leader. Following the end of the war, Ralphs unit was called to be in the army of occupation in Japan, where he received orders transferring him to the office of General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers. During his time in Japan, Ralph worked for several years in charge of Japanese radio stations. Returning from Japan, Ralph attended Syracuse University for a graduate degree before relocating to New York City, where he worked in the radio and television industry for major networks. A move to Cape Cod followed, where he founded and managed two radio stations | WVLC-AM and -FM in Orleans, Massachusetts. In 1975, Ralph settled in Florida on Longboat Key, where he founded, and with his wife Claire ran, the Longboat Observer weekly newspaper from 1978 to 1995. During his years as publisher and editor of the Observer, Ralph gathered extensive information and knowledge about, and photographs from, the early days of the Key, and he served as president of the Longboat Key Historical Society. Ralph authored and published From Calusas to Condominiums: A Pictorial History of Longboat Key in 2002. When the Hunters sold the Longboat Observer and retired, they remained active in the Longboat Key community, including as founding members of Christ Church of Longboat Key. In 2010, the Hunters moved to Westminster Communities in Bradenton. Ralph and Claire were loyal fans of the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ralph was named Citizen of the Year by the Kiwanis Club of Sarasota Keys in 1990, and he was honored as Business Man of the Year by the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce in 1986. Memorial donations may be made to the American Red Cross, for whom Ralphs mother worked during World War II, traveling to Europe and the Far East setting up officers clubs and rest and recreation centers for servicemen and women. Donations may also be made to the American Heart Association , and the Boy Scouts of America. Memorial services are planned for Christ Church of Longboat Key at 2 pm on Saturday, March 5, 2016 and at Westminster Communities at a later date. Arrangements by All Veterans-All Families Funerals & Cremations. (941) 377-1060.

Published in The Cape Codder from Mar. 2 to Mar. 11, 2016.