Allen James Hunt September 26, 1946 ~ December 20, 2023

Allen James Hunt, 77, of Blanding, UT passed away suddenly on Saturday, December 30, 2023 in Montrose, CO.
He is survived by Leonie, his wife and best friend of 53 years, and nine of his ten beloved children; Mikaela (Justin Ramsay), Kirby (Tamara), Brady (Angela), Chelan (Jeremy Clason), Sean (David Andora), Amanda (David Pickard), Cara (Ben Tomco), Caleb (Daria) and Anita (Steven Legler), and 26 of the brightest and most amazing, talented grandchildren!
His daughter Nikki died in 1977 at age 3. (There is a pretty wonderful reunion going on right now!)
Allen was born September 26, 1946 in Cedar City, UT, the 13th child of Ray and Augusta Hunt of Beryl, UT.
His three surviving siblings, Clyde (Delora), Mary Ann Atkin, and Evaline Bracken (Marvin) live in the St. George area.
After serving a mission in Australia, Allen graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s Degree and a desire to continue teaching the gospel.
This led to a career in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Seminary and Institute department. He loved teaching the youth and watching them grow as their faith matured.
He later earned a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology from Utah State University.
Allen came to Blanding to teach seminary in 1991 after a career that took them first to North Dakota, Sanford, CO, and Seattle, WA.
Following his retirement from teaching, he worked for the College of Eastern Utah, and then for Utah Navajo Health System.
Allen and Leonie loved to travel and spent much of retirement in their motorhome on the road going to see their children and grandchildren from Florida to the Pacific Northwest, and places in between.
They also took family history trips to research and see where their ancestors lived in Ireland, Portugal, and England, Australia to see Leonie’s family and friends from his mission, and the Holy Land.
He loved the gospel and had a fierce testimony of Jesus Christ, the restoration, the value and truth of the scriptures, the love of God for His children, and believed with all his heart that “mortality works!”
He loved his years raising Arabian horses and treasured his long rides in the mountains with friends and family.
As much or more than the horses, he loved music. He learned to play the guitar while on his mission and never looked back.
He and Leonie wrote hundreds of songs together which he called his “journal”.
His family is so grateful for the outpouring of love, memories, service, and care from so many of his former students, many friends, and extended family.
He always chose people over things, and that has returned many-fold to bless and comfort his family.
It has been said that “Grief is just love with no place to go”, but Allen would have said that there is always some place for love to go; sorrow will ease if you just re-direct it!
A Celebration of Life was held in Blanding on January 6, 2024.