Thomas Jefferson Hunter

Thomas Jefferson Hunter, age 94, entered eternal rest on June 12, 2022. He was born in the Somerton section of Suffolk, Virginia on March 14, 1928 to the late George Wallace Hunter & Ethel Howell Hunter. At an early age he accepted Christ and joined Red Oak Grove AME Zion in Gates, NC. Later in life he moved his membership to Gethsemane Baptist Church to be with his wife. In his early years he farmed with his father. He worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the Webster Brickyard and finally retired from the City of Portsmouth Water Department in 1990. He was an avid sportsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening & most of all, the New York Yankees. He was a member of the Whaleyville Hunt Club until his health no longer allowed. Because of his long life, he was preceded in death by many loved ones, his parents, his siblings with spouses - Marion Lee Taylor (Tony), Lula Mae Wiggins (Lee Herman), Queen Holland (Richard), Theodore Hunter (Alma), James Dildy & George Hunter; his nieces, Patricia Hunter Johnson, Toya Hunter Baker, Betty Jean Dildy Goodman & Dorothy Taylor; his in-laws, James "Bubba" Hall, Kate & Junious Copeland, Melvin Demiel, Vernell Demiel Outland. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 69 years, A. Beatrice Hunter; 6 children- Clifton Hunter, Sr. (Brenda), Margaret Rodgers (William), Carolyn Dorman (William), Thomas E. Hunter, Sr. (Angelia), Theodore Hunter (Lora), and Tabatha Hardiman (Samuel); sisters, Mary Dildy & Virginia Dildy; sister-in-laws Evelyn Copeland, Jane Potts (Jeff), Gloria Nicols (Ronald), Marion Rountree (Gary), Emma Hall; and brother-in-laws, Willie T. Hall, Jr. (Brenda) & Kenneth Hall (Denise), 10 Grandchildren, 22 Great-Grandchildren, 6 Great-Great Grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins & friends. A public viewing will be held 1- 7pm, Friday, June 17, 2022 in the Melvin J. Blowe Chapel of Crocker Funeral Home, Inc. A celebration of life will be held 12 Noon, Saturday, June 18, 2022 at Gethsemane Baptist Church, 1656 Copeland Rd. Suffolk, VA 23434. Mr. Hunter will be laid to rest in the Howell-Collins Family Cemetery. Professional services with dignity have been entrusted to Crocker Funeral Home, Inc. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Thomas Jefferson Hunter, please visit our flower store.