Jessie Mae Hunnicutt

Jessie Mae Hunnicutt of Corvallis passed away July 26, 2016, at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice in Albany. She was 93. Jessie was born in Mitchell, Oregon, the youngest child of Irving Hamilton Jones and Rhoda Elizabeth Stout. When she was 4, the family moved to a farm in Independence where she grew up, graduating from Independence High School in 1940 and receiving a teaching certificate from Oregon College of Education in 1943, after which she taught first grade in Pendleton. July 22, 1944, Jessie married Alan Hunnicutt, her high school sweetheart, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. They had three weeks together before Alan left for Europe with the 290th combat engineers. Jessie returned to Oregon to teach first grade in Forest Grove. From 1945-1947, Alan and Jessie lived in Tacoma while Alan was at stationed at Ft. Lewis. Their first child was born there. The family moved to Corvallis in 1948, building the home in which they raised their family of two daughters and two sons. Alan died unexpectedly in 1981, but Jessie continued to live in the family home until 2013 when she moved to Regent Court. Jessie was an active member of First Baptist Church, the PTA, the DAR, the Button Society, and for years was known as “the story lady” for Child Evangelism Fellowship. She had a beautiful smile, a wonderful sense of humor, a deep faith and an enduring love of family. She cared about people, graciously welcoming into her home family, friends, neighbors, students, missionaries, and others in need. Jessie was preceded in death by her parents; a baby daughter, Elizabeth; her husband and all four of her siblings. She is survived by two daughters, Patricia Eide (Stuart) of Corvallis and Diana Maul (Alan) of Turner; two sons, Dale Hunnicutt (Marilyn) of Roseburg and Gary Hunnicutt (Tyler Polhemus) of New York; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A service celebrating Jessie’s life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at First Baptist Church in Corvallis. Her grandson, the Rev. Eric Eide, and the Rev. Bill Knopp will officiate. Contributions in her honor may be made to the First Baptist Church, Samaritan Evergreen Hospice, the Abigail Scott Duniway Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, or the charity of your choice.

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Jessie Mae Hunnicutt

June 6, 1923 - July 26, 2016