Sally Hunter

Lifelong Northport resident Sally Hunter has been taken from us. Her family had lived in Northport for many generations and were proud to have done so. Educated in the local elementary and high schools, she also attended Shelton State, Montevallo and Auburn.
Sally was the descendant of a family who traced their roots back to the 1830s, before Northport became a city. One of Sally's great grandfathers served in Tuscaloosa County's 41st Infantry Division in the Civil War. Hunter Creek and Hunter Creek Road are named for her ancestors and their siblings who owned a large portion of the land in and around what is now Vestavia Hills. Her ancestors washed their clothes in Hunter Creek; they swam in the deeper portions of the creek; and they got their household water from springs that fed the creek. Sally lived most of her life on the original land owned by her branch of Hunter ancestors.
Horticulture was her love. Nature and the outdoors called her name. She knew plants, shrubs, and trees: what they required for their health; how tall they would grow, and how to propagate them. She was often called upon to landscape a yard or advise a yard owner about how to sustain a garden, flower bed, or the soil. She was a member of the Sierra Club and strived to protect the environment. She loved animals, and never let a stray go hungry, even if that meant it would stay with her for its lifetime.
Sally was a lifetime learner, avid reader, and observer of nature, animals and plants. She studied how to do what she needed to do in order to remain independent and self-sufficient. She attended Shelton State to learn plumbing and wiring. She studied carpentry and painting. She used these skills to help her friends with their projects and to maintain her own home.
Sally retired from the United States Postal Service, where she held a walking route making many friends at the houses she visited. She also worked for the U.S. Corps of Engineers and worked as a forest ranger.
She strived to preserve Northport and its landmarks. One of her special places was Williamson Cemetery where on July 27th she was interred next to her mother. She served on committees to update and maintain that cemetery.
Sally was quiet and never boasted of her abilities, her knowledge, or her heritage, although if asked she was delighted to share any of these avenues.
Sally was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Dolly Pate Hunter and brother, Robert Hunter, Jr., and is survived by many cousins and friends.