Mary Ann Hunt

Mary A. Hunt, an Associate Member of the State of New Jersey Parole Board and mother of two daughters, died peacefully at home in Mullica Township, with her adoring family at her side, on Monday, September 22, 2014. She was 59. Mary was a loving, dedicated parent to her children, and a caring, supportive partner to her husband. Anyone who met her was taken by Mary’s fervent passion, candid genuineness and personable presence. She was a remarkable woman who made an indelible impression on others throughout her personal and professional life. Daughter of Kyo-Soo Hunt (Yun) of Korea and Lt. Col. Maximo Gonzalez of Puerto Rico, Mary was born in 1955 in South Korea. Her childhood there profoundly influenced the direction of her life. After living her early years in adverse circumstances in post-war Korea, Mary was raised by her mother and adoptive father, Master Sergeant James Courtney Hunt of Texas, on an American Army post. Mary went to U.S. Department of Defense schools in Korea, and moved to New Jersey in 1972. She attended Rutgers University, New Brunswick, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work. Mary was a tireless advocate for the many personal and social causes she espoused. She was a committed Quaker, who ministered as the Clerk of the Atlantic City Area Friends Meeting. Throughout her professional career, Mary worked in the courts, law enforcement, veterans’ affairs and healthcare fields at the federal, state and county levels, as well as in non-profit social services and health organizations. She served on the Mullica Township Board of Education for 13 years, as an elected member and its president. Mary was also instrumental in organizing her community to successfully stop a regional trash transfer operation from opening in the center of Elwood. Mary was extremely well-read, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic gardener, a creative and skilled costume designer and an accomplished quilter. She will be remembered for her earnestness, diligence, determination, intelligence, integrity, astuteness, concern for others, forthright manner and sense of justice. Mary leaves behind her spouse and companion of 32 years, Bernard Graebener, daughters Annessa Graebener-Smith and Elsabeth Graebener, son-in-law Jeffrey Smith, sisters Nancy Hunt and Lydia Wright (Gonzalez), and brother Carlos Gonzalez. She is predeceased by her parents and brother Francisco Gonzalez. Meeting for Worship will be held at 2 PM Thursday at the Friends Meetinghouse, 81, High Street, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060. Burial will follow in the Mt. Holly Friends Meeting Cemetery. An informal public gathering to remember Mary’s life will be held at the Friends Meetinghouse, 81 High Street, Mt. Holly, 08060 on Saturday, October 4 at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, Mary’s family suggests volunteering for a worthy community cause or doing a kind act for another person in her memory.

Mary Ann Hunt

December 22, 1955 - September 22, 2014