Glenn Gene Hundt

Glenn Gene Hundt, 69, passed away yesterday May 24, 2016 at his home in Burnett.

Glenn was born April 26, 1947, the youngest son of Gilbert Hundt and Effie Perschke. He grew up in Juneau, WI with his two brothers Robert and Delmer, and two sisters Donna and LuAnn. Dad spent a lot of time growing up on the family farm outside of Oak Grove, where he had a special bond with his grandfather, Walter Perschke. Walter was like a second father, helping him get his first car loan. He enjoyed working on automobiles, playing sheepshead and hunting. Many of those days were spent with his cousins Steve and Gene Miller, hunting whitetail and waterfowl.

He soon found our mom and they were wed on July 20 of 1968. They both worked at Mayville Metal at the time, and lived in a little house on the company property. He looked back at those times fondly, when his work commute was measured in paces to the door, not minutes behind the wheel. It became evident that soon this house would be too small, so they moved back to mom’s hometown of Burnett in the spring of 1973. For the price of an entry level car today, they purchased a homestead north of town with an unattached marsh for dad to hunt in.

In July 1973 dad and mom welcomed Todd home. Looking at those pictures you can see the mixture of fear and pride of a newly made dad. He had Todd as his first apprentice. Todd would watch dad take on any task big or small. Dad would take time to take Todd to the Burnett Ditch, to brave the mosquitos in the hopes of some bullheads or the occasional northern. In another 5 years a second son, Neil, was born. Now dad had two apprentices, with hands small enough to fit in access holes as he ran wire. Dad fostered Neil’s love of electronics, bringing him junk circuit boards to play with. In the mid-Eighties, mostly by word of mouth, dad’s reputation as a guy who could repair almost anything started to get out around town. When the town of Burnett commissioned a new fire station, dad was tapped to help wire the station with his friend Lyle Gallenbeck. They were good friends until Lyle’s passing. With his work on the fire station, dad was asked to join the Burnett Fire Department.

Dad was extremely proud of his work with the fire department, bringing industrial professionalism with him. He spent many days and nights with these people, and the station became like a second home. Dad took on many projects for the department, both mundane and fun. He chaired the Fireman’s Picnic festival through some of its most profitable years. It was an insanely stressful period, but he thrived off of it as well. Dad’s talents took him all around Burnett and the surrounding area. He found himself working very closely with people we now consider our extended family, especially the Reifsnider family. Dad and Orville “Reif” Reifsnider could often be seen in Reif’s garage, working on some new project for their carnival.

Dad spent his life teaching us a very important lesson of helping others. Dad lived this up to his last days, dispensing advice from a lifetime of repairing and installing all manner of devices.
Not that dad was all work, he loved Country Music. Or what he was quick to remind anyone “real country music”. He was a life-long fan of George Jones, “The Possum”. Some of the best days were sitting in our hunting shack listening to Classic Country Countdown on a Sunday morning. We’d tease him about the music, but deep down inside he knew we liked it, and it was the soundtrack of our lives.
Dad loved a good bullhead fry and a cold Budweiser. He loved a strong Brandy Manhattan, long before Mad Men made it trendy.
As the years progressed Dad hung it up at Mayville Metal after 44 years. He said retirement was the best job he’d ever had. He spent his days working around the house, and helping his sister-in-law Kris. Many days were spent with his nephew Scott Brown, having a cold beer and talking about projects and hunting.

In 2012 Neil and his wife Robin welcomed their son Finnley. Calling dad at the hospital was the greatest moment Neil ever knew in 33 years. Dad loved Finn greatly, and always was picking up a new toy or asking how he was doing. Finn loved Skyping with Grandpa and Uncle Todd.

Dad passed on a warm May afternoon, the kind of day, “he just lived for”. High humidity and plenty warm. He was gardening, a pursuit he both rued and loved. He had recently started canning vegetables, his homemade salsa an integral part of many recipes.
Dad is survived by mom, Kris, Todd, Neil, Robin and Finn. He is also survived by brother Delmer, and his sisters Donna and LuAnn. He is also survived by his nephew Scott Brown, a man that shares so many of our dad’s qualities. His work around the area also stands in testimony to his lifetime of helping others. He was a great man, and his absence will be felt every day for a long time to come.

Visitation for Glenn will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2016 from 9:00 A.M. until the hour of service at Zion Lutheran Church, N8523 Front Street, Burnett, with Pastor Tim Sallach.

A celebration of Glenn’s life will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. at Zion Lutheran Church.