Mansfield Laurance (“Mike”) Hunt, 93, of South Bristol, died peacefully Sept. 17 at Branford Hills Health Care Center in Branford, Conn. where he had been since early August. He had been in declining health for some time.
Son of the Rev. John Eugene and Celia Leland Hunt, Mansfield was born Oct. 21, 1916 in West Lebanon, N.H. His childhood was spent in various communities in New Hampshire and Maine where his father was a pastor of the Congregational Church. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1937, and spent several years employed by the YMCA, and teaching in public schools in Maine. Mr. Hunt served in the Army during WWII, experiencing battles at Normandy and elsewhere. He was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Croix de Guerre.
Following the war, Mr. Hunt entered the diplomatic service of the United States and served in posts in the then Belgian Congo and in Northern Ireland before a period of service in Washington, D.C. Upon retirement, he moved full-time to the home in South Bristol that he had discovered when a college student and purchased in 1946. It became the favored location for his extended family to enjoy.
Mr. Hunt was pre-deceased by a brother, Leland O. Hunt.
He is survived by nieces, Cynthia Garrels of Evanston, Ill. and Elizabeth Dailinger of No. Branford, Conn.; great-niece, Katherine Dailinger; great-nephew, Andrew Dailinger; and great-great niece, Violet.
Memorial service will be held at the Union Church in South Bristol at a future date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Church, or Bowdoin College.
