Hunt Sought Joy In All He Did

TAMPA - Richard Paul Hunt had a knack for names, and made a point of treating everyone on the same level, no matter what their status or station in life.

He may have been one of Tampa's most prominent businessmen, but "Dick" Hunt also was an everyman, known as much for his acumen in banking as his consideration of family, friends and fellow workers.

Hunt died Saturday after a long struggle with lung cancer. He was 66.

"He was one of the nicest people you would ever want to know, and one of the most caring, considerate and compassionate people I have ever known," said Bill Crowder, a friend and neighbor of Hunt's in South Tampa. "He also was a straight shooter and honest as the day is long. When he said something, you knew it was fact."

Michigan-born Hunt graduated from Albion College in 1963 and attended Wayne State University graduate school and Valparaiso School of Law. After moving to Florida in 1968, he developed an interest in politics and finance, which evolved into investments. In 1995, he founded Kendrick Pierce & Co., an investment banking firm based in Tampa.

Hunt earned a reputation as a dean in the banking business, advising and helping start more than 120 banks across the state. His professional skills and Southern grace rubbed off on his sons, Russell and Jeffrey, who remain with the firm.

"He was my mentor," Russell Hunt said. "Everything I know, as well as my brother, we learned from him. He taught by example, and his kids and grandkids would always say, 'What would papa do?'"

People were drawn to Hunt's warmth, and his effortless way of making everyone a friend, said his wife of nearly 20 years, Mary Beth.

"He had an infectious good humor, and was just joyful all the time," she said. "He also had a fantastic memory for names. He could tell you anybody's name, and the names of their children and their assistants, even servers at restaurants. He had a habit of establishing commonalities with everyone he met."

Aside from his professional zeal, Hunt loved tennis, aerobics, growing orchids, fine clothes and travel to Europe and Alaska. He served on the vestry of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, where he taught Sunday school, and was a member of Tampa Yacht and Country Club.

Cancer slowed him in the last year, forcing him to give up his beloved tennis matches. He simply looked for another, just as demanding, distraction.

"He wanted to learn to play the piano while he was ill," Mary Beth Hunt said. "He wanted to find joy in life no matter what the circumstances."

RICHARD PAUL "DICK" HUNT

BORN: April 24, 1941, in Albion, Mich.

DIED: Jan. 19, 2008, in Tampa

SURVIVORS: Wife, Mary Beth; sons, Russell and Jeffrey; brother, Robert; and many grandchildren

MEMORIAL SERVICES: Thursday at 11 a.m., St. John's Episcopal Church, 906 S. Orleans Ave., Tampa. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Lung Cancer Alliance, 1747 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., 11th floor, Washington D.C. 20006