Brian Hunt, my father, passed away at the age of 88. He was a firm believer in supporting those without a support system to manage their daily lives. Brian worked as a senior social worker in Bristol and supported a wide range of charities such as Water Aid and Arthritis Research. Even in retirement, he volunteered for the armed forces charity SSAFA.
Born to Jessie (nee Allan) and John Hunt in Sale, Cheshire, Brian had an older brother, Malcolm. John was the manager of an insurance company in Manchester. Family life took a turn when John passed away at 60, leaving Brian, who was only 10 years old, as a boarder at Cheadle Hulme grammar school. Although he hated being away from home, Brian enjoyed school, especially sports such as rugby, cricket, hockey, and lacrosse in which he represented the school.
At 18, Brian joined the army and served in Italy during World War II, where he also became a skilled featherweight boxer. After returning to civilian life, Brian attended Manchester, Oxford, and Bristol universities where he achieved an honours degree in economics, a diploma in education, and a certificate in social work. He worked in various professions including insurance, a statistician for a chemical company, a teacher in a residential approved school, and a maths teacher in Clevedon, Somerset. It wasn’t until he found social work in Bristol that he felt like he had found his true calling.
In 1955, Brian met Ruth Pescud, who was a teacher, at a dance and they married the following year. They lived in several places around the UK before settling in Portishead, a town near Bristol, where they raised two children. Brian described his retirement years, also spent in Portishead, as "the happiest period of my life". He and Ruth traveled around the UK and Europe, established and led a walking group for 25 years, joined a choir and a music appreciation group, and continued to work daily on their beloved garden.
Brian is survived by his wife, Ruth, his son, Jonathan, his daughter (the writer), and four grandchildren.
