Jean Hunter

Jean Marie Hunter (nee Cote) was born on May 19, 1939 in Holyoke, MA. Her parents were
Anne (Roukey) and Alfred Cote. Jean was the second of three children, her older sister Patricia
and her younger brother Jim.
Jean was a happy child, and full of fun. She and her family left Massachusetts in the early
1940’s to move west for her mother’s health. Along the way they stopped in many different
states, visited landmarks, and lived in Los Alamos, New Mexico for a few years before
eventually settling in Southern California. Jean spent her teen years in Burbank and the San
Fernando Valley, and followed up High School with Cosmetology School.
Jean met her husband Craig H. Hunter Jr. on a blind double date set up by her brother Jim.
The two couples spent a weekend together in Big Bear, CA and Jean knew she had met the
love of her life. Jean and Craig were married in Las Vegas in 1966 and raised their two children
Jeff and Wendy in Simi Valley. Jean was always an involved mother, eventually leaving her full
time salon job to be home with her children, while maintaining a few loyal clients in their
homes.
She was a parent volunteer and was active with the Royal High Marching Band, and
loved to spend time with her children and their friends. As her children grew, so did her family,
and soon there were grandchildren to love and take care of. Jean was now a Nannie, and loved
to take the grandchildren on fun adventures after school, either to Dr. Conkey’s, Foster’s
Freeze, or the park. Jean was a loving daughter and took care of her parents while they were
living. She spent a lot of her life taking care of the people she loved, and had a kind and
generous heart.
Jean always loved to travel and the outdoors. Summers were spent camping in Carpinteria,
Yosemite Valley, or taking road trips up the coast to Monterey and Carmel. Winters were spent
skiing, first in Big Bear, and in later years going to Tahoe became an annual family tradition.
She loved the holidays, and loved to decorate. Her Christmas tree was always sparkling and
full of ornaments collected during her travels, or passed down from her own parents; and if the
tree came down before Valentine’s day it was too soon!
Jean and Craig also liked to travel to tropical climes. Some of their favorite vacations were to
Tahiti, Hawaii, and the Bahamas, and they visited several times. While Jean did not swim, she
enjoyed boating, beach combing, and soaking up the sun. She was happy to take photos as
her husband and children went diving and snorkeling, and once braved the waters of Tahiti to
snorkel with a life jacket and a determined attitude.
Jean had a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. Once she started to giggle the
rest of the room couldn’t keep from laughing with her. She loved to tell stories of her childhood,
and many of her stories had grandkids begging to hear them again. Jean lived a full and
blessed life and was loved by all who knew her! She will be missed as a joyous and loving
wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is now with her maker.
Jean is survived by her husband of 55 years, Craig Hugh Hunter, Jr.; her son Jeff L. Hunter and
his wife Amy; her daughter Wendy L. Hunter; granddaughter Marcelle MacCulloch and her
husband Sam Cohen; grandson Wesley MacCulloch and his wife Bethany; grandson Kevin
Hunter and his wife Nadine; granddaughter Lacey Hunter and her partner Ethan Persico;
grandson Mitchel Hunter; great-grandchildren Tobey, Kaden, Lucas, Oliver, Asher, and Everly;
her sister Patricia Wilsey; and her brother James Cote and his wife Susan.