Hudson – Ples E. Hunter Jr., 83, of Hudson, died peacefully Tuesday, March 4, 2014. He was born Oct. 31, 1930 in Arberdeen, Mississippi, the son of Ples and Lou Jeanie Hunter.
After five years in the U.S. Navy, where he served on the U.S.S. Shangrila, he settled in Cambridge after meeting his soon-to-be-wife, Barbara. They married Sept. 4, 1954 and lived in Cambridge and Arlington until they moved to Hudson in 1966.
Ples and Barbara were the parents of five children, Susan, Marjorie, Thomas, David, and Jennifer, who predeceased him in 2004. He also was the grandfather of 10 grandchildren, Christopher, Benjamin, Jason, Nicole, TJ, Zachary, Zoe, Lauren, Jacob, and Jeffrey and he was the father-in-law to Dan Nattress, Ann Hunter, Debra Hunter, and Bob Yates.
Ples worked as a draftsman at Raytheon and Data General before retirement. He loved bowling and playing softball, where he was the pitcher and dubbed “Catfish,” a nickname that he kept throughout his life, by his friends.
After Jennifer's death in 2004, he was an integral member of the Jennifer Hunter Yates Sarcoma Foundation that has raised funds for adults fighting sarcoma at Massachusetts General Hospital.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Jennifer Hunter Yates Sarcoma Foundation (JHYSF) and mailed to P.O. Box 698, Hudson, MA 01749.
Family and friends are encouraged to gather Saturday, March 8m at 1:30 p.m., at the Tighe-Hamilton Funeral Home, 50 Central St., Hudson, with a celebration of life to follow at 2 p.m. Burial services will be held privately at the convenience of the family.
