June 20, 2008

  • A friend and Co-worker or mine's father passed away this week. My heart and prayers go out to their family.

    image

    Tom Hunter, a local musician and pastor who shared his music with children in Whatcom County public schools for decades, died early this morning after a short battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    News of Hunter's death came from a blog that Hunter's wife, Gwen Hunter, and children had been updating for the public as the disease progressed (visit the Hunters' blog, here.)

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an extremely rare and incurable degenerative brain disorder. In general, it is rapidly fatal.

    Hunter had recently been hired as pastor of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Bellingham before his diagnosis.

    Hunter was appreciated by many for Christmas concerts at the Mount Baker Theatre and other activities, and Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike had declared June 5 “Tom Hunter Day” after learning of the pastor’s diagnosis.