CANFIELD, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Bernie Gunter, 89 of Canfield, passed away on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at Hospice House in Boardman surrounded by family and friends.
He was born in Pineville, West Virginia, son of Clayton and Lulu (Halsey) Gunter. He grew up in Mullensville, West Virginia on the Guyandotte River.
He was a nature enthusiast, traversing the mountains and fishing the river from a young age and will be remembered as a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, businessman and servant of his community.
He graduated from Pineville High School in 1951 as the Valedictorian and Class President and remained loyal to his school and his classmates, attending every annual class reunion up until the last few years of his life.
He worked in the coal mines for a short while before enlisting in the Army in 1952.
In 1953 he married his high school sweetheart, Frances.
In 1954 he mustered out of the Army as a Sergeant. He attended Concord College in Athens, West Virginia on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a bachelor’s degree and subsequently, had a successful 39-year career with the Social Security Administration, retiring in 1995 as District Manager in Youngstown, Ohio.
Bernie believed in the value of public service and throughout his life served as the President of Kiwanis, President of the PTA and the President of the Area Agency on Aging, where he participated in a coalition for eldercare to develop the Ohio Eldercare Initiative. He received numerous awards for excellence in service, including Manager of the Year from the Jaycees.
He also loved nature. Vacations were spent camping and some of his fondest memories were those made with his fishing buddies. He took daily walks in the woods and loved to plant trees, gardens and flowers. When people visited his home, they felt like they were in a park. He was always welcoming, kind and generous and was known as a man of great integrity and honesty who loved his family and friends and showed it in ways too numerous to count.
He is survived by his wife, the former Frances Bane, with whom he shared 70 loving years. He leaves to cherish his memories, his daughter, Attorney Debra Gunter Weaver (Jan Pentz) of Youngstown; Barbara Gunter Bröndum (Professor Lars Bröndum) of Stockholm, Sweden; his grandsons, Derek Weaver (Priscila), Daniel Weaver (Ivy Sesaldo), Dylan Weaver, Krister Bröndum (Hannah Shanberg) and Eric Bröndum and his great-grandchildren, Preston, Harper, Elliot and Ethan Weaver and Ben Bröndum-Shanberg.
Bernie is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Walt; sister, Bonne and son, David.
The family will receive relatives and friends Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Lane Family Funeral Homes, 65 N. Broad Street, Canfield, Ohio. The service will follow at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to Hospice of the Valley, 9803 Sharrott Road, Youngstown, OH 44514 or Treez Please Inc. (501(c) (3) at 1330 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44505.
To send flowers to the family of Bernie, please visit our floral store.
A television tribute will air Tuesday, February 7 at the following approximate times: 7:10 a.m. on FOX, 12:22 p.m. on WKBN, 5:08 p.m. on MyYTV and 7:27 p.m. on WYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.