Obituary of Robert Henry Hunter

Robert (Bob) Henry Hunter was born on April 3, 1943 in Ypsilanti, MI and made his transition from this life as he succumbed to the COVID-19 virus on April 22, 2020. Born and raised into a family of 14 children in the essence of abject poverty and living in "the projects," he saw no choice but to put others on his back and help them to persevere. He, instinctivley took the lead for his many brothers and sisters, as well as for others in the community. He did so while bravely enduring, for many years, the tirelessly blazing treacherous trails that life set before him. His legacy continues to impact his grandchildren, a myriad of nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless other community children who benefited from his efforts and expectations of excellence. He is survived by his wife Evelyn (Cleo); son, Charles; brothers Larry, Steven and Martin; sisters Joan, Janet, Sandra, Kathy, and Donna; and a myriad of nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his stepdaughters Glenda Jackson and Teresa Lewis; grandchildren Tiara, Tatiana, Tiffany, TaShawn, Ashley, Marquise, and Shania; and great grandchildren JaSean, Dezairay, BreAna, Deangelo, Antonio, Antwan, RaLon, and Marquise Jr. His lifetime accomplishments were too numerous to name them all, but all had a continuing theme of activism involving Civil Rights, Black political empowerment, social and economic justice, and fighting against poverty and racism. Bob courageously served this country as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. He spent his early career as the Assistant Director of Human Rights/Human Resources for the city of Ann Arbor, where he spent countless hours enforcing Ann Arbors Human Rights Ordinance and fighting against racial and gender discrimination throughout the city. He later worked as an Employment Specialist for the Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC), from which he retired. He was single-handedly responsible for obtaining good-paying jobs for hundreds of Washtenaw County residents. Bob was forever active in his community and, in later life, some called him the unofficial "Black Mayor" of Ypsilanti. A few examples of his community involvement include: Past Worshipful Master and life member, of the St. Andrews Lodge #7 past Illustrious Potentate, Al Ashraf Temple #167, Commander and Life Member of the American Legion Post #408, founding member of the Washtenaw County chapter of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), Chair of the Carter Woodson Commission, Co-Chair of the Washtenaw County Million Man March Coalition, and Chair of the Black People United Coalition. Bob was also known for his passion for eating and cooking good food. He took to heart the family cooking tradition, taking lessons learned from his parents, John J. and Annie L. Hunter, who predeceased him. Bob was known as the ultimate Pit Master, known to barbeque or smoke everything to perfection. Also taking lessons from his mother and father, Bob loved to garden. He could often be seen in his pickup truck wearing his coveralls, boots and straw hat with a bundle of garden tools in the back. He grew everything and always planted extra in order to give food away to others in need. He also had a great love for Jazz and unselfishly spread and shared his knowledge with others. Some ask after a death where to send contributions? Instead of contributions, we request that you rededicate yourselves in the spirit of Bob. If you truly loved Bob, then we say follow his lead. Stand up, march, speak up, get up when you are knocked down, and fight back like hell for the principles you believe in so we can make this a better world for ourselves and the children.