John Greer Hunter

1957

John Greer Hunter
January 27, 1939 – March 27, 2017
John Greer Hunter (“Judge”) of Upper Sandusky, OH passed away peacefully on March 27, 2017 at Fairhaven Home at the age of 78. Born on January 27, 1939 in Bucyrus OH, he was the son of the late William James Hunter II and Freda (Walton) Hunter. He married Laura Jane Henceroth on September 6, 1968, and she survives in Upper Sandusky.
John is also survived by his two sons, William James Hunter III of Richmond, VA and Douglas S. (Lynn) Hunter of Aurora, OH; four grandchildren: Austin, Benjamin, Katherine, and Leah; two sisters Lynn (Darl) Gerber of Upper Sandusky and Ann (Richard) Senff of Salida, CO; as well as nieces and nephews.
In 1957, he graduated from Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, WV, where he attained the rank of sergeant and played drums in the school band. After high school, he attended Miami University for two years then transferred to Ohio Northern University where he received his undergraduate degree in 1964 and his law degree in 1967.
In Upper Sandusky, he practiced law with his father for six years before serving the citizens of Wyandot County as the Judge of the Court of common Pleas from 1957 through 1998. At the time, he was one of only seven judges to act as a judge in all divisions of the Common Pleas Court which includes Probate and Juvenile, and General which included Civil, Criminal and Domestic matters. After retiring from the Court o Common Pleas, he served as a judge taking assignments by the Supreme Court of Ohio for six years before completely retiring in 2002.While his time as a judge, he served on many local, state, and national committees. He created a county program to help at-rick youth in 1975 and in 1976 he was appointed as the Chair of the Attorney General’s Statewide Task Force on Juvenile Justice. He was also active in the state and local bar and judicial associations and volunteered his time to work with law students and preside over mock trials at his alma mater, Ohio Northern University.
In 1994, Judge Hunter’s courtroom was used in the filming of The Shawshank Redemption, in which case many locals in the cast were extras.. Judge was cast as a as a juror in the movie.
Locally, he was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Upper Sandusky. He was also a former member of First Lutheran Church, also in Upper Sandusky, where he served both churches in various leadership positions.
He was a member of the local Elks Lodge 83 , Stone Crossing Golf Course and Sam Walton Lake. He was extremely proud of his service on the Library Board and in helping to establish the current library building. The judge was an avid golfer, boater and Ohio State sports fan. In his later years, he enjoyed traveling and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren.
The family will receive friends on Friday, March 31 2017 from 4:00Pm-8pm at BRINGHAM CLARK Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Kenneth Wessler officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to Upper Sandusky Community Library, First Presbyterian Church or Fairhaven Health Care Community in care of Brigham Clark Funeral Home, 22 E. Wyandot Ave., Upper Sandusky, OH 43351.