Obituary of James Bunton

After 89 years of life, James Harold Bunton of Raleigh died on Tuesday March 26, 2013. Jim was a native of Mercer County Kentucky. His parents were John Thomas Bunton and Myrtle Irene Bickers Bunton. His Kentucky roots were deep, and he was a lover of all things Kentucky throughout his life and returned often to visit with family and friends. Growing up in Kentucky he heard the St. Louis Cardinals broadcasts and remained a life-long baseball and St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Jim served in the US Army from 1943 through 1946 in the European Theatre as a medic and carried an injury of that war throughout the rest of his life. Following World War II , Jim earned a Master's degree in Education from Eastern Kentucky University. He spent most of his working career as an education specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a position that allowed him to move about the country and live in several locations, all of which he remembered with fondness.

He is predeceased by his parents and by his late-wife Albertina Hare Bunton, originally from Apex, NC to whom he was married for more than 40 years, and by his brother Paul Bunton of Nicholasville, Kentucky. He is survived by his wife Helen Bunton of Raleigh, NC, his sister-in-law Ruth G. Bunton, niece Paula G. Bunton, nephew John L. Bunton and his wife Linda and their daughter Anna, all from Lexington, Kentucky. When Jim married Helen in April 2002 he inherited a family of loving children, grandchildren, granddogs and ball watching companion, Theo.

Jim and Albertina moved to the Raleigh area after retiring from FEMA in 1989. Upon moving to Raleigh, Jim joined Forest Hills Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and a Sunday school director. He was also an active member of the Civitans. Wherever he lived, Jim was an active member of local Baptist associations.

He will be buried at Montlawn Cemetery in a service at 10 am on Good Friday, March 29. There will be visitation at 1 pm followed by a funeral service at 2:30 at Forest Hills. There will also be a memorial service at a later date in Kentucky.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the nurses and other staff at Rex Hospital for their extraordinary care and attention during Jim's illness. Memorials may be made to Forest Hills Baptist Church or Civitan Foundation of Raleigh.

Arrangements are by Montlawn Funeral Home, 2911 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC. Condolences can be made at www.montlawn.com