Obituary: Paul Huner, alumnus, retired storekeeper in Athletics

Paul C. L. Huner, 80, of Amherst, alumnus and former storekeeper II in the Athletic Department, died June 14 at Linda Manor Extended Care Facility of complications associated with a decade-long struggle with dementia.
 

He was born in Medan on the island of Sumatra to a family of Dutch cigar tobacco growers.

Forced to return to the Netherlands by the threat of Japanese invasion in 1939, only to endure German occupation throughout most of World War II, his family did so relatively well by once again relying upon their agrarian roots.

Thereafter, he followed his father and older brothers in 1952 at the invitation of the Italian government to help incubate a cigar tobacco industry in the warm, sunny regions of southern Italy. It was toward the end of those 15 years in Salerno, Italy, where he met his wife Annie Spek of Moordrecht, Holland, in 1962.

After a brief stint in Bremen, Germany, as a tobacco broker, he and his young family emigrated to the United States in 1968 to consult for the Consolidated Cigar Corporation in Granby, Conn., where once again his expertise was tapped to help begin what is now a world-renowned region for shade tobacco production.

He moved to Amherst in 1970 and was hired as an accommodation night clerk at the Campus Center Hotel. He studied Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration, graduating in 1988. He transferred to the dining commons as a janitor and then as a skilled laborer in Warehousing before becoming a storekeeper. He transferred to Physical Education and was promoted to storekeeper II. He moved to Athletics when the School of Physical Education was eliminated. He retired in 2001.

Paul leaves his wife of 51 years, Ann; his son George; his daughter Lavinia Gripentrog; and two grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held Wednesday, June 19 from 3-6 p.m. at the family residence, 81 East Hadley Rd., Amherst.