John H. Hunter

It didn’t take long for more than a million comments to appear on the Hunter’s Farm Market Facebook page in honor of its patriarch, John H. Hunter, who died on Aug. 3 doing what he loved.

Scroll through those comments and you’ll find words that described the 77-year-old: special, humorous, amazing, sweet – like the corn he grew each year on Cinnaminson land he and his family have worked for centuries. 

There were also cantaloupes, green beans, sweet potatoes and watermelons to be had at the 120-acre farm, where John; his children; and grandchildren did the heavy work of picking – the owner himself digging in, too. 

Hunter’s Farm Market was also a temporary stop for legions of former workers, among them Butch Bowen.

“Till this day, I can remember him,” he wrote on one of those Facebook comments. “Honestly, I learned so much about work and how to live your life from him …

“I know it sounds crazy for how little I worked for him, but even for a couple summers, he role modeled how to be an adult man.”

Jennifer Minton’s Facebook post reveals a cherished childhood memory with John at the center.

“Mr. Hunter was wonderful to our family,” she noted, “and as a child, (he) gave me the biggest pumpkin with my name carved in it. I will forever appreciate him.”

While ownership of the business passed from John to his son – also named John – in 2023, the patriarch stayed on. He was especially proud that Hunter’s is a National Bicentennial Farm, an honor bestowed on acreage owned and operated by the same family for at least 200 years.

The farm and market closed every year for the season the day before Thanksgiving and reopened in May. That gave John time to pursue his passion for hunting and fishing, notes his obituary, and take trips with his late wife, Barbara, to fish for Tarpon in the Florida Keys.

But he kept working the land that was his pride and joy – until the seconds referred to by his daughter, Amy Hunter Zorn, in a message to the community after her father’s death.

“Do me a favor,” she requested. “Tell those who are important to you that you love them. Give them a hug, a kiss, a phone call. Life can change in an instant.”

But John Hunter would have been nowhere else on the hot August day when he died than harvesting his own crops. Self-help author Wayne Dyer once wrote, “Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.”

If that’s the case, John Hunter’s life was as abundant as the land he farmed. 

Sources: Facebook, Weber Funeral Home, Legacy.com

Inside the obits: A Shore thing

Living in South Jersey has its benefits, but few as beloved as the beaches we flock to from these parts. In the obituaries, the phrase “down the Shore” has special meaning.

Cooper Alan Yearicks Sr. likely heard these familiar words hundreds of times: “Watch the tram car, please.” That’s because the Woodbury native – who died at 82 – didn’t just ride that vehicle on the Wildwood boardwalk, he collected change for it after his retirement from the refinery business. He was also a faithful church-goer and a local coach.

Nancy L. Williams is described in her obituary as a “quiet and steady presence.” The Gloucester County resident “lived a simple, thoughtful” existence of 92 years “centered on family, faith and the familiar comforts of home.” And when she escaped, it was to Ocean City, where she is said to have enjoyed the sea breeze and the slow pace.” 

William J. Thompson passed away at 82 after a life that began in Camden and took the Williamstown resident to the U.S. Army, the ranks of the Monroe Township police and the gyms where he coached midget basketball. But his escape was the many years he spent with his wife at their home in Cape May, where his obituary says he enjoyed boating and water skiing.

Margaret “Marge” Anne McGlinchey of Gloucester Township was a Philly gal who died at 74. Her long life brought tragedy, but also five grandchildren. She often said, “In my next life, I’m going to be a grandmother first and skip the mothering part.” The grandmothering part included renting a house for the week in Sea Isle City and watching the kids “have fun – and funnel cake.” 

Sources: Legacy.com, Budd Funeral Home, McGuinness Funeral Homes, Farnelli Funeral Home.