- William Donald Hunt -

See the full PDF version of Don Hunt's story. Excerpts below.
Scenes From My Life ~ by William Donald Hunt
Date: July 24, 2002
Location: Orem, Utah
Recorded and written by: Jennifer Hunt Johnson
Off to a Great Start
Where were you born?
Date: September 12, 1924
Where: at home, delivered by a midwife
Birthplace: Ora (Ashton), Fremont, Idaho
Vital statistics
Weight: 12 pounds
Eye Color: brown
Hair color: black, wavy
Temperament: mild, laid back
Father
Name: Purcell Byron Hunt
Date of Birth: January 12, 1898
Birthplace: Richmond, Cache, Utah
Mother
Name: Stella Cora Hill
Date of Birth: October 12, 1900
Birthplace: Ora (Ashton), Fremont, Idaho
Were you named after someone?
I was named after William Henry Hill, a grandfather on my mother’s side.
Did you ever have a nickname?
I’ve always gone by “Don.” The only other one I can remember is “Browny.” I was kind of short, but I had big, brown eyes. I was also called “Donnie,” especially by Billie’s side of the family.

Purcell Byron & Stella Cora Hill Hunt
What are the names and birth dates of your brothers and sisters?
Beatrice February 20, 1921 Ora (Ashton), Fremont, Idaho
Ronda Purcell October 3, 1922 Ora (Ashton), Fremont, Idaho
Mildred Fontella April 12, 1928 Ora (Ashton), Fremont, Idaho
John Keith May 23, 1930 Buhl, Twin Falls, Idaho
Did you fight with your brothers and sisters?
Yes, but not too much. I was always the friendly type—never got in any quarrels with anybody. I got along well with people, especially my family.
Growing Up
What towns did you live in when you were growing up?
The first place I can remember anything about was in Buhl, Idaho where I started first grade. Then we moved from Buhl to Besslen (Dietrich), Idaho. All Besslen had was an elementary school and a depot. We moved from Besslen to Carey in 1937.
Describe the house you remember the most from your childhood?
The house in Besslen is very much etched in my memory. It was a tarpaper shack—that’s all it was. There was one room for Mom and Dad and everyone else slept in the room that had a heater in the middle. I slept by the window and the snow would sift through the cracks onto my bedclothes. We had a big, potbellied heater in the middle of the house where we burned railroad ties and sage. The fire threw sparks up on the roof and that scared me to death. I used to run outside in the middle of the night to make sure the roof wasn’t on fire. I had nightmares about that for a long time. There was also a wood-burning stove in the kitchen.
When Ronda and Beatrice got big enough to go to the dances with my parents, I had to stay home and baby-sit. I’d look out the window and I’d swear it was too light out there. I’d run out to see if it was on fire. Golly, it was bad.




Ronda, Beatrice, Keith, and Mildred

Ronda, Don, and Keith at Stella's funeral. I call this, Variations on a Theme. (The photo bomber is Jenni Hunt Johnson.)

Picture from the Baker Democrat Herald newspaper - Coach Hunt gathering flowers for his biology collection, along with some of his track team.)

From Billie's Bride Scrapbook. Honeymoon at Yellowstone National Park.

William Donald "Don" Hunt Obituary