Lawrence Hunter

Lawrence Hunter, age 76, prominent retired Aurora businessman, died Sunday, October 21, 2007, at Memorial Hospital.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, October 24th at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora. Rev. Chris Kester Beyer will officiate. Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 P.M. Tuesday at Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 P.M. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: LAWRENCE HUNTER

Lawrence Alan Hunter, the son of Lawrence A. and Mable E. (Shoenberger) Gore, was born in Atchison, Kansas on January 16, 1931 and died in Aurora, Nebraska on October 21, 2007, at the age of 76.

Lawrence was raised in Kansas and Nebraska and graduated from Syracuse High School in 1949. In 1950 he joined the U.S. Air Force for 4 years attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant serving in England and the United States. After his honorable discharge he returned home to Syracuse. He grew up in the dry cleaning business as his stepfather owned a plant in Syracuse and he also worked for the REA (Rural Electric Association). In 1955 he took training to become a dry cleaner. He managed dry cleaning plants in Omaha, Columbus and Fremont before purchasing his own on the square in Aurora in 1967. He and his wife ran Hunter Cleaners together until retiring in 2000.

He married his wife Patricia C. Bauer, on September 12, 1956 at Luther Memorial Church in Syracuse, Nebraska. He was a charter member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora.

Lawrence was a member of the Aurora Fire Department where he served as President, American Legion #42 serving many years on the baseball committee, Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Board Member at Willow Bend Lake Association, Nebraska Drycleaners Association, Lion’s Club and spent many years as a Cub Scout leader and baseball coach.

He loved his family and always enjoyed their activities in sports, music and school. In their adult years he loved playing golf with his sons and grandsons and family outings at their cabin. He water-skied on the lake yet last summer. He loved his cabin on the lake and spent many hours with family and friends boating, swimming and water-skiing. He hunted for many years and was very proud of his stag trophy on the cabin wall. He’d love to tell you the story of how he landed that buck. Lawrence was fascinated by history enjoying especially the World War II era. He spent many enjoyable hours reading books and watching documentaries. Lawrence was an avid coin collector and spent many an hour metal detecting with his little dog Shorty. He played semi-pro baseball and he coached Pony League baseball for many years in Aurora. He was very proud of his championship teams and the boys coming back as young men with their sons to introduce them to their former coach they still held in high esteem.

Lawrence was preceded in death by his parents, in-laws, brother, nephew and two sisters-in-law.

Survivors of the immediate family are his wife, Patricia of Aurora; two sons, Mark J. Hunter of Lincoln and Michael L. (Kelly) Hunter of Aurora; daughter, Marsha L. (Kenneth) Hansen of Hampton; grandchildren Jeffrey L. (Brandi) Hansen of Hampton, Matthew L. Hansen of Hampton, Laurice L. Hansen of Omaha, Ryan M. Hunter, Rachel A. Hunter, Alex M. Hunter and Jeremy A. Hunter all of Aurora; step-grandson Kyle Ehlers of Aurora and great-granddaughter Raegan L. Hansen of Hampton.

He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law JC and Norma Jean Nisely of Syracuse, brother and sister-in-law, Gerald and Linda Hunter of Omaha, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.