Hunter John Obituary (1946

Hunter John died peacefully at his home on Sunday, August 4 with his family at his side. He worked as a lawyer for most of his adult life and was known as a powerful advocate for children and a champion for justice and racial parity. He was an engaging man, whose smile could light up a room and whose intellect was enormous. With few words and no fanfare, he would convince others of the reasonableness of the positions he took. Growing up in White Plains, New York, he, along with his siblings, was one of the first African American children to integrate the school system there. His older brother, Wendell, was the first to integrate the pool at the White Plains YMCA, (you had to be 8 years old to go in the pool) but Hunter came along 16 months later and soon surpassed his brother. Hunter went on to high school at Phillips Academy at Andover, but his swimming skills continued to stand him in good stead. He became an Olympic caliber butterfly swimmer, who attended Syracuse University on a swimming scholarship. Competitive swimming wasn't his only athletic interest. After school and law school, he continued on with pick-up basketball and Lawyer's League baseball. And, although he never seemed super aggressive or competitive in any of these, he usually managed to achieve a degree of excellence without putting anyone else down. Hunter loved to fish. There were trips to Neah Bay, Campbell River and elsewhere with friends and family and fishing in Lake Washington and other places around town. Lies and Hunter and the boys and the dogs had some particularly memorable trips on a houseboat in Eastern Washington. And Hunter played chess. And pinball. And the electronic games that superseded pinball in the arcades and bars and later proliferated on-line. And he was really good at all of them. He gardened, too, and cooked wonderful meals for family and friends. There was so much life to Hunter. Hunter's life work was as an advocate for the most vulnerable in our society. After graduation from Syracuse University College of Law, he was employed at Institutional Legal Services in Walla Walla, working for prisoners' rights. He later moved to Seattle where he worked as a public defender for several agencies and as a private practitioner. As a lawyer and supervisor for the King County Public Defender Association Juvenile Division, he brought a level of professionalism and excellence to the defense of children that remains the standard to this day. In addition to his direct work with clients, Hunter's participation in committees to improve the status of children and to address the issues of racial disparity and inequality within the justice system achieved results that would not have been possibility without his steady presence. When a stroke rendered Hunter unable to continue the practice of law as a trial lawyer, he continued to maintain his bar membership, to contribute to legal discussions and to advocate for the rights of all people for dignity before the law. Hunter is survived by his wife and companion of 22 years, Liesbeth VanderWal, sons Tyler and Jesse, sister Esther "Little Dove" John, brother Wendell John (Karen Nesmith), nephew Aidan, and friends and colleagues of long-standing who will all sorely miss him.