Written by staff and wire reports
June 22, 2008
The Rev. Tom Hunter, a musician and pastor who shared his music across the UCC and beyond for decades, died on June 20 after a short battle with rare brain disease.
Hunter, a modern-day minstrel, sang and wrote songs for more than 30 years. One of Hunter's songs is featured in The New Century Hymnal (#359).
In April, he began a new ministry as pastor of First Congregational UCC in Bellingham, Wash. Just days after assuming the position, he was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an extremely rare and incurable degenerative brain disorder.
News of Hunter's death came from a blog that Hunter's wife, Gwen Hunter, and children had been updating for the public as the disease progressed. Remembrances from friends and church members are being gathered at Hunter's blog, A Time for Sharing.
"Tom took his last breath this morning, June 20, at 3:39 surrounded by the three of us and an amazing amount of love," the family wrote on its blog. "We cried, laughed, prayed, embraced, hummed 'How Can I Keep From Singing' and sang 'The Garden Song.' We lit a candle and applauded a life well-lived."
A graduate of Amherst College and Union Theological Seminary, he was ordained in 1972. In 1979, he was the founding host of "God Talk" on San Francisco's KGO radio. After his death, the station honored him on Sunday with an on-air tribute.
