PETER JOSEPH HUNT Sr.

Peter Joseph Hunt Sr. Of Tiburon, California, passed away on April 3, 2010. Peter was the son of Joseph P. Hunt and Alice K. (Rafferty) Hunt. He was the eldest of three siblings, John Robert (Bob) Hunt and J. Patrick Hunt. Mr. Hunt was raised in Butte, Montana, and attended the Immaculate Conception Grammar School and the Christian Brothers Boys High School. In his youth, he worked at various jobs, including as a diamond driller in Butte copper mines. He attended college at the Montana School of Mines located in Butte, and graduated with a BS in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. While still in college, Mr. Hunt joined the U.S. Army and served 14 months overseas during the Korean War. He was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in the 25th Infantry Division. Upon returning from the war, Mr. Hunt received his MBA from Stanford University. While at Stanford, he wrote a report on the fiberglass and petrochemical industries which become the basis for the company he and his brother Patrick were to form a few years later. After beginning his business career as a technical sales representative with Hexcel Products in 1957, Mr. Hunt and his brother Patrick purchased a small fabricating company located in the heart of San Francisco which produced Christmas ornaments made from Styrofoam for store window displays. Thus began a fascinating journey that spanned over three decades. For the first several years the business made numerous products ranging from Rose Marie swim suit manikins, to packaging for the electronics and pharmaceutical industry, to the manufacturing of marker buoys for the crab fishing industry. In 1963, the same year Mr. Hunt moved from San Francisco to Mill Valley, the company made a major breakthrough when it started manufacturing Styrofoam cups. It was then that Handi-Kup Company was born. It also coincided with a move of the business from San Francisco to Gate Five Road in Sausalito. By 1968 the Sausalito factory was overflowing, and a much larger facility was built in Corte Madera. That factory continues making Styrofoam cups to this day. Over the next 18 years Handi-Kup experienced rapid growth while expanding into a national company through a series of key acquisitions. In 1970, the company extended its manufacturing capabilities with a major production facility in Chicago, IL, followed by plants located in Metuchen, NJ and Jacksonville, FL. By 1980, Handi-Kup Company was the third largest Styrofoam cup producer in the nation. In 1981, Mr. Hunt moved to New York for three years to be closer to the New Jersey facility. That year, he met the love of his life, Dotty, who would become his wife in 1984, the same year they moved back to Marin. After three decades in the business, Handi-Kup had grown to over 900 employees, of which 200 were located in Marin. In 1986, Mr. Hunt and his brother decided it was time for a change and sold Handi-Kup to the James River Corporation. Following the sale, Mr. Hunt assisted in the transition and formally retired later that same year. Mr. Hunt was also very active in the community. He served as the Director of the Marin Chamber of Commerce from 1973-76 and again from 1989-92. He was Chairman and Director of the Marin Coalition from 1978-79, the Director of Society of Plastics Industry from 1981-83 and Chairman of the Foam Cup & Container Division of SPI from 1981-83. Additionally, ever proud of his military service during the Korean War, he was and continued to be a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). After his retirement from Handi-Kup, Mr. Hunt and his brotherPatrick formed the Hunt Investment Company to manage investments in commercial real estate. Mr. Hunt was also one of the original organizers of The Bank of Marin. During his retirement, Mr. Hunt and his wife Dotty split their time between Marin and Maui, Hawaii. They enjoyed playing golf and entertaining friends and family in both locations. In Maui, Mr. Hunt expanded his passion for painting, and became quite an accomplished artist over the years. He worked primarily in oils covering both landscapes and portraits. In the late 1990s, the couple moved to Tiburon, where they settled into their new community. In 2006, Mr. Hunt's wife, the love of his life and soul mate, Dotty, passed away. Dotty was the most wonderful and generous person and their lives together were filled with great joy and happiness. Since Dotty's death, Mr. Hunt spent much time with his children and grandchildren who love him very much and will miss him tremendously. Mr. Hunt passed away early Saturday morning the third of April, 2010, one day before his 80th birthday. He is survived by his four adult children, David Hunt of Naperville, Il., Peter Hunt Jr. of Novato, Paul Hunt of Berkeley, and Dana Doss of San Rafael; his two step-children Margaret Owens of Novato and William Wolf of Huntington Beach; his seven grandchildren, Adam, Ani, Peter III, Marilynn, Ryan, Luke and Connor; and his brother J. Patrick Hunt of Ross. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Alice Hunt, his brother Bob Hunt, a long-time resident of Marin, and his beloved wife of 25 years Dotty Hunt. Services will be held at St. Hilary Church in Tiburon, California on Friday, April 16 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Veterans of Foreign Wars (vfw.org) and the American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org).