Obituary of Laurale Rae Hunter

Laurale R. Hunter, 91 (one day before her 92^nd birthday), passed away Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the Crestivew Specialty Care Center in West Branch.

Visitation will be held 10:00 until 11:30 A.M. Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch with the funeral service to be held immediately following at 11:30 A.M.  at the funeral home. Burial will be in the West Branch Cemetery.

Memorial may be made to Laurale Hunter Memorial Fund.

Laurale Rae was born March 24, 1931 in Cedar County, Iowa the daughter of Harold and Nona (Hipple) Fulwider. She was one of 9 graduates of her class at Springdale High School where she was active in the school orchestra playing the violin and was on the basketball team. On October 9, 1949 she was united in marriage to Kenneth Earl Hunter at the United Methodist Church in West Branch.

Laurale had been employed with Montgomery Wards in Iowa City, was a telephone operator in West Branch, secretary for Don Johnson at Johnson’ Hatchery, ACT, and as a nursing assistant at Crestview Care Center and Mercy Hospital and drove the kindergarten bus for several years.  She was a volunteer for many years with the Meals on Wheels program.

She enjoyed feeding the birds and watching them from her dining room table. Following Ken’s retirement they spent every year from May to September in Minnesota. They enjoyed their neighbors at Evergreen Lodge making lifelong friends; Laurale and Jimmy would drive the golf cart around the camp delivering mail, feeding birds, deer, raccoons and bears that came into their backyard. She also enjoyed stamping homemade cards, stamped verses that she would frame to hang and fishing from the pontoon boat. In the 1940’s she and Darlene Tisinger Schooley sang a duet in a contest on WMT radio sponsored by Rath Packing Company, winning the first round but sadly lost in the second but they considered it and accomplishment!  She later sang with the Sweet Adelines for many years.

Survivors include three children: Melanie Christopher (Gary), Denise Johnson and Steve Hunter (Robyn) all of West Branch. Seven grandchildren: Angie Konetzni (Josh) of Glen Ridge, NJ, Erica Thomas of New York City, NY, Kristen Gregory (Peter) of Westminster, MA, Karen Daughtrey (Jonathan) of Lancaster, PA, Amy Soberg (Wayne) of Cedar Rapids, Nick Hunter of Iowa City and Mikayla Hunter of Iowa City as well as 16 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, son Jim, and great granddaughter Vivian.