Huldah Hunter Is Almost 101 and Going Strong

Ask Huldah Hunter about her health, and the soon-to-be 101-year-old changes the topic at the drop of a hat. Instead she’ll inquire about your grandchildren, or say, “Would you like a piece of my birthday candy?”

The Westminster resident, born July 31, 1899, was the main attraction Thursday at a senior center luncheon party celebrating July birthdays. But sure enough, whenever fellow celebrants stopped by to chat, Hunter instantly diverted the attention from herself.

With age, Hunter has had some physical setbacks, including a broken hip, but she was lauded for having a remarkable outlook on life by friends.

“Although she is very well acquainted with pain, you will never hear that from her,” said former Senior Center Director Betty Goyne. “If I ask her about how she’s doing, she will say, ‘Well, I’m here,’ and then ask about me.”

Named after a figure in the Old Testament, Hunter credits her longevity to her faith in God. She relished her role as a minister’s wife before her husband, William, died in 1970. She remains active in her faith, holding Wednesday night Bible studies in her home.

She said she had always wanted to be a pastor’s wife, reasoning at an early age: “Well, I’m not a man, so I can’t be a pastor. I’d like to be a pastor’s wife.”

Several boyfriends fell short of the mark before she met her husband when she was 25. Born in Cedar Bluffs, Neb., she became a teacher when she was 17 and taught 31 students, grades one through eight, in a one-room classroom. The school was just outside of her hometown of Gresham, Neb.

“I taught in a country school and was making $45 a month,” she said.

In 1924, she met her husband, who was studying to be a minister at the time. After their marriage they followed a lifelong passion for ministering to others. He was pastor at a church in Los Angeles and founded a church in Monsaba, Kenya, where they lived from 1965 to 1967.

Hunter says her Africa experience, teaching Sunday school and directing youth groups in singing, was “beautiful.”

On Sunday, a day before her birthday, the First Presbyterian Church in Westminster where she is a member will dedicate a garden in her honor.

At the Senior Center party, an organizer read Hunter’s wish for the future.

“I would hope that our country becomes one under God again,” her statement read.

Afterward, while friends prepared to leave, Hunter made sure everybody went home with a piece of cake.

Alex Murashko can be reached at (714) 966-5974.