Obituary of Evelyn Hunt Anderson

Love and RemembranceThus, the closing page of the final chapter of Evelyn's Book of Life has now been written. She was mercifully rescued from her consuming agony and called to her heavenly home in the fading hours of a gloomy, piercing cold Sunday evening. There are times when, after much suffering, death is a comfort, a final release from the horror of timeless pain. But, oh, for the heart, the loss of a much loved and cherished wife and mother of her son, David, remains a bitter pill - a staggering loss. I will always treasure the moment of that long ago past when she said "Yes" to my marriage proposal and gave me the gift of herself. It was indeed a sweet privilege to have been chosen by her to be her husband for seventeen years.On February 16, in the 2020th year of our Lord, and 88 year old bridegroom, shaken with worry, sat by his bride's bed, held her hand, gently stroked her forehead, and with cutting heartbreak gazed at her as she struggled with torment. Her shadows were growing darker with each passing day. I find myself carried back to those final agonizing hours as she lay a prisoner in her bed, her life now squeezed into a thimble so broken in body and soul that I could no longer observe her without a shower of tears scalding my face. Dehydrated, malnourished, her open mouth gasping for every molecule of air, and on occasion a very labored murmur of "help" were tragically voiced. But still, unwilling to relinquish life despite the futility, she courageously attempted to lift herself out of her bed, only to fall back - drained, spent, worn-out and used-up. Suddenly, I found myself adrift, lost in the somber, anguished finale (Adagio lamentoso) of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique symphony.As the ebb tide retreats from the beach, so too was her life flowing away. Hopelessly, her son, David, and I could only serve as grieving spectators as her throbbing heart weakened to its final, dying beat. Quite suddenly, I felt the stab of loss. My bride had completed her journey from the cross to Easter.After "her hour" had come, she was readied for our time to be with her and bear our hearts in our good-byes as she lay in repose in the now silent, isolated room. At first, I found it agonizing to look at my motionless wife. The way she was lying in bed in a hush, facing me but not looking, solidly still as if in profound thought and infinitely patient. Death had transfigured her. In a matter of minutes, I saw the beauty of her young years reassert itself on her once aging face. It was like a musical composition, the re-establishment of the original key, the return of the lovely theme. Although her cheek and lips felt insensible to my kiss, I wondered if she might still be alive, that she had not really died. But soon tears of reality coursed down my cheeks. She had reached death's horizon, and it became her. She had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a vacancy like the wake of a ship. Yet, it is this track of her journey that tells us who she was.Evelyn was a very gifted woman whose rich array of talents foreshadowed her memorable achievements. She lived her early years in Durham, North Carolina with her father, Carl Clyde Hunt; her mother, Edna Jane Laney; sisters, Mary Margaret Hunt and Carolyn Hunt Poole; brother, Thomas Alton Hunt. At Wake Forest College she was a double major student (Philosophy and Literature) and earned her B.A. degree with summa cum laude honors.At the age of six, she studied the violin and clarinet, but it was the beauty and magical voice of the piano that had awakened her latent musical passion. Over the course of countless years of devoted study and practice, she gradually advanced from modest uprights to the grand piano - a thundering Steinway which at one time had been at Stanford University. She live with it and it lived with her like a member of the family. Although she played popular music, she preferred classical pieces, especially the works of Chopin who flooded the world with resonant, poetic piano compositions.Art, poetry and English literature were also cultivated by her with uncommon fervor. In Art, she embraced the work of Impressionists who created new vistas helping us see paintings with fresh eyes, and sharing the elation of the moment by stressing the myriad shades of light and color. Poetry was her best-loved medium of gifted expression with Yeats and Dickinson among her favorites. For Yeats, every poem speaks from the heart with very creative word play, the Dickinson shows us new ways of seeing just about everything: love, death, solitude and the soul. Moreover, Emily's idiosyncratic style, together with her deep resonance of thought and observations of life established her as a poetic genius. And, of course, being an Anglophile, Shakespeare was for Evelyn the greatest writer of the English language the world has ever known. She thought of him as possessing the curiosity of the scientist, the judgment of a philosopher and the soul of a poet.Given Evelyn's aesthetic interests and intellect, it was never beyond expectation that she would also become an eminently fine poet herself. Her poems brim with intense feeling from heavy heartache to sprightly passion. They also unveil her intimate knowledge of the Bible, classical mythology, Shakespeare, philosophy, nature, love and the working of the mind and thought. Consonant with Emily Dickinson, she possessed a remarkable capacity for embodying in a small poem complex passions. She always grasped and sensed the ideal words, phrases and scenarios to portray the unbounded complexities of the human condition. Regrettably, Evelyn never sought publication of her poems in order to maintain her hard-set sense of privacy. It is indeed a lamentable loss that her poetry, which speaks the words one longs to say, will remain in silent repose for as long as forever is.Evelyn never pursued any endeavor tepidly. A prime example was her developing interest in man's best friend, especially the Irish Setter. This is a silky-haired, mahogany breed of dog blessed with beauty and brains and a gentle, affectionate, cheery disposition making him ideal for a pet or show dog. Over a ten year period, she ardently dedicated herself to the grooming, breeding and showing of these loyal, beautiful animals, some of her own becoming show-dog champions. Her broad knowledge not only of the Irish Setter but also other breeds as well, eventually led to her being selected as a AKC judge.From the early eighties to 1995 she became the Olympic administrator for the team handball, an executive office which involved heavy responsibilities. She traveled throughout the world, including most of Western Europe, Cuba, Norway, Iceland, South america, South Korea and two trips to Russia. During this period, she was responsible for plans and operations her team sport involving four Olympic Games.For more than twenty years Evelyn worked at Dillard's department store in the Chapel Hills Mall as the Bridal consultant, offering advice regarding gifts for the wedding registry. Most challenging was her creation of wedding shows for the brides, families and guests. She wrote plays, invited distinguished speakers (Lord Wedgwood, representative from Ireland for Waterford crystal, and many others) and planned the music and photography.In November of 2007, Evelyn completed her magnum opus for Ancestry; the voluble history of the Hunt family tree dating from 1772 when John Hunt, an Anglican clergyman, left London with his new bride bound for Connecticut. The challenge of recording in prose over 200 years of family history required intense dedication involving many months of research, documentation, study and important contributions from family members as well as a Hunt family genealogist.The arresting moment of this work may be best expressed in Evelyn's own words: "The compilation of family history is a labor of love. Love for our heritage and concern for the heirloom we might lose if we let it go unrecorded. Think how we wish we had asked many questions of our parents and relatives who have departed, and if we had done so, how much more we would know about our families...what are the rewards? The excitement to be found in the exploration. Fulfillment in solving mysteries. The contentment and joy of feeling the life of your ancestors within you. The living heritage!"My mind spoke to my lovely bride as she lay on eternity's edge:Go now - but with my eyes in flow I still see youGo now - but my choked wars still hear your voiceGo now - but the bond of your memory and love will always be with me-John C. Kuchta PhDEvelyn is survived by her husband of seventeen years, Dr. John C. Kuchta; her son, David Brian Anderson; and her sister, Carolyn Hunt Poole.