Anthony Richard Hunt, a great man
Anthony Richard Hunt of Lewes was a great man. He was born May 29, 1966, and passed away March 30, 2021. First and foremost, Anthony loved his family, always doing his best to make family the priority in his life. As well, Anthony is remembered as a good friend to so many. We, his family and friends, honor his life, one of loving relationships, hard work, and a deep connection to nature.
Anthony is survived by his wife, Lisa; sons Anthony James and Tristan; daughters Shelby and Randi of Lewes, and Natasja of San Francisco, Calif.; granddaughters Mya and Rosalee; brother and sister-in-law Jim and Peggy Hunt of Philadelphia, Pa.; aunt and uncle Phyllis and Thomas Peterson of Bradenton, Fla.; mother-in-law Birgit Cooney of Dover; sister-in-law Karin Cooney-Newton; niece Kristina and nephew James of Middletown; and the many members of his extended family. He loved and cared for his two Labrador Retrievers over the past decade, Sophie and Rocky. So often Anthony had the greatest stories to tell, fun memories about times he spent with the people in his life.
Anthony was a member of the Native American Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, as his mother was 100 percent Lumbee. Throughout Anthony’s younger years, he was a highly valued employee of DeNofa Construction in Philadelphia, Pa., completing multiple large-scale projects in the city, including 30th Street Station, various locations of Olde City and the historic PSFS Building, to name a few.
Anthony was a natural leader and very knowledgeable about all things to do with building, innovating and repair. He was always an energetic, hands-on person, ready to get the job done. His ethics on efficiently executing hard work, often requiring great strength and tenacity, was just something that was hard wired into him.
A story Anthony was known to happily tell was about how he and Lisa had met in Philadelphia in 1998. As he usually started, he was working on the roof of the PSFS Building, over 30 floors up. He remembered that as a kid growing up in Philly, in the nighttime he would often look at the brightly lit PSFS sign in the distance. On the roof, that day he, had stopped for a few minutes to say a prayer, asking God to send him someone special to share his life with. Anthony and Lisa met that day, and their journey of 20-plus years together of true love and devotion to family began.
Meant to be: In the end of March, after some weeks already in the hospital, Anthony was medically transported to the ICU at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. When Lisa arrived after a long drive, she went directly to the hospital to be with him. At 8 p.m. the nurse said she had to leave and could return the next day. Quickly booking a nearby hotel online, Lisa then drove to the address. While checking in at the reception desk she asked if it was possible to have a room on a higher-up floor with a good view of the PSFS Building, since it is special to Anthony and her. The clerk seemed confused, went to talk to someone, came back and finally said, “This hotel is in the PSFS Building.” Lisa hadn’t known. It was absolutely meant to be. During those several days before Anthony passed over to eternal life March 30, when she couldn’t be at the hospital, she was on the 28th floor of the PSFS Building. Looking out over the city and up to the sky, she prayed, as he had when he said the prayer in 1998 that had brought them together.
Over the past decade, Anthony had volunteered much of his time to do all the behind-the-scenes work for the two Montessori schools founded by Lisa, Lewes Montessori School and Rehoboth Beach Montessori School. Anthony renovated classrooms, built playgrounds, landscaped beautifully, and repaired just about anything.
Anthony’s legacy is his children and his infinite love for them. Throughout the years he taught each of them so much - how to ride a bike, how to cast a rod and catch a fish, how to cook, fix things, how to garden and landscape, the many lessons that a father imparts to his children. The list is long. At home, among many things, Anthony was the chef, often busy in the kitchen preparing the best dinners each night. Family vacations to Canada, Florida and everywhere in between will forever hold some of the best memories of our time together. Most missed is the sound of Anthony’s voice, the talks and daily life with The Best Dad.
Enjoyment of nature and life in the great outdoors was at the top of Anthony’s favorite pastimes. He was known to be an early riser, and with cup of coffee in hand was soon outside working for hours on the garden, trimming trees and bushes, working on the house and in the field. Anthony’s fondness for the variety of wildlife, birds, fox, deer and more, led him to take special care of their habitat. The area of the property that has become the nature preserve was his most recent project, and his family has chosen to memorialize him through The Anthony R. Hunt Nature Preserve, continuing the great work that he started. Donations for the preserve’s fund may be made at https://gofund.me/eaa3cf31.
. The memorial service for Anthony took place Saturday, April 3, at Conley’s UMC Chapel.
