June 27, 2008 – It is with heavy hearts that our family announces the passing of Barry P. Bunting on June 23, after a lengthy battle with incurable cancer. He was a wonderful husband, father, brother, mentor and friend.
Dad was born in New Britain, Conn. on March 9, 1934. He met and married Marie Ann Dietlin on April 11, 1959, and had three children: Michele, Mark and Paul.
For over 35 years, he served as an educator and headmaster, touching countless lives and making lifelong friends. His fondest memories included his 17 years at the Good Hope School on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he was able to present a high school diploma to each of his children.
He had a passion for education, be it helping others to excel or his own self-study. He could be found with a nose in a book at all times, and we marveled at the fact he could read three or four totally different subjects concurrently and keep each one straight. When we'd read books and find words we didn't know and we'd ask him what they meant, he'd say, you'll learn it better if you look it up – we always had a dictionary handy.
Dad was an intellect who had a deep social consciousness. We learned a lot from him. As headmaster, he would walk the school campus numerous times a day chatting with everyone and picking up trash as he went. When it was pointed out to him that there was a maintenance staff for that, he stated that we were all equals and no job was beneath us – you may have a different job but it was not better for each role we play is important. During sports competitions, he would say it was great to beat the opposing team but there was no need to run up a score or rub a loss in the other team's face – he had no patience for unsportsman like behavior. We were never to gloat, although he was awfully proud of the Red Sox winning the World Series.
He was an avid historian and political scientist – as children we would cringe at the idea of history or political science reports because once Dad learned we had an assignment, he would go through his library of books and give us huge piles to read even though we insisted we only needed a couple of sentences. He'd ask to read our reports and then proclaim that he had yet another book with another point of history that we should include.
Dad was consistently optimistic and good spirited, even during the trying years of various treatments for multiple myeloma. He spent nearly eight years being treated for cancer, the first six years at The Cleveland Clinic and the final two in Florida at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. He volunteered for clinical trials, and said he was willing to try anything if the doctors thought it would help him and/or help the study for a cure.
He taught us love for God, love of family, love for spouse, love of people and, most importantly, a commitment to serving others. For those of us who survive him, we aim to live our lives as honorably as he lived his. He will be deeply missed.
Those remaining to celebrate Dad's life are: wife, Marie of Holiday, Fla.; daughter, Michele and her husband David of San Antonio, Texas; son, Mark, his wife Melanie and children Kelly and Geoffrey of Mobile, Ala.; son, Paul, his wife Rebecca and children Catherine and Tyler of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and brother, William Bunting of St. Augustine, Fla. He will also be missed by innumerable friends and colleagues.
As he requested, he is to be cremated. There will be no memorial service at this time, his ashes will be spread next year, on what would have been his 75th birthday, at sea, in the Virgin Islands.
Memorials may be made in his honor to: The Good Hope School, 170 Estate Whim, Frederiksted, St. Croix, USVI 00840.
