YARMOUTH – Alexander Hamilton Hunt, 94, died Jan. 30, 2021, in Yarmouth. He was born to Kyle and Ardessa Hunt in Waelder, Texas, on Sept. 2, 1926, on the family farm that remained the center of his life.

He enrolled in Prairie View A and M at 16 and graduated in 1948, with a two-year break to serve as a Marine in WWII. He joined the Army as an officer in the 24th Infantry Regiment, first in Japan and then Korea where he was injured and medevacked to Japan. There he began corresponding with a woman he saw in a photo and after three years he married Velma, the love of his life.

As a family, they were posted in the U.S. and abroad. He served at the Pentagon, the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk State ROTC and studied at the National War College. He was Army Attaché to U.S. Embassies in Liberia and Laos. He saw combat in Korea and Vietnam and was awarded three silver stars, the purple heart, three combat infantryman’s badges, three legion of merits, two Vietnam service medals, two Vietnamese crosses of gallantry among others. He retired as a full colonel in 1978.

Upon retirement, he was Registrar at El Paso Community College and a devout member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, MOWW and several other organizations. = From 2015, he lived with his daughter and family in Yarmouth where he attended St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.

He loved his family and its stories and knew no strangers. A man of tremendous faith, he was steadfastly optimistic, kindhearted, loyal, joyful and a role model for many.

He is predeceased by his parents; wife, Velma; daughter, Cheryl Alane; and sisters, Ocey Mae, Ruth and Zelma Grace.

He is survived by his daughter, Carla (Andrew); sisters, Olivia (James) and June, brother Franklin; grandsons Musseit, Clayvon (Eve), Christopher (Kimberley), Caitlyn (Katrina); great-grandsons, Caleb and Cameron and great-granddaughter, Clover Alane. He was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

A military burial will be held at Ft. Bliss, El Paso, Texas, Monday, Feb. 8. The family will celebrate his life at a future time when all can gather safely.

Donations may be made to Prairie View A and M University.