Calvin "Boots" Gunter

Calvin (Boots) Gunter, Jr., of Washington, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 25, 2020, after a long journey through Alzheimers. He was 85. Boots was born on December 18, 1934, in the Beulah community of Wilkes County, to Calvin and Belle Threlkeld Gunter and was the youngest of five boys. Early on, his brothers nicknamed him “Boots” and the name stuck. The family soon moved to the Delhi community of Tignall, where Boots grew up. He was a Boy Scout, achieving the level of Eagle Scout, and a talented multi-sport high school athlete. He graduated from Tignall High School in 1951, where he was President of his Senior Class. Following high school, Boots spent two years as the proprietor of the local soda shop in Tignall before attending Presbyterian College. After a long courtship, he married the love of his life, Shirley LeRoy, also of Tignall, in 1958. The couple moved to Washington where Boots began a fourteen-year career with Pet Dairy. Two daughters followed, Allison in 1963 and Alicia in 1969. As a young man, Boots was a charter member of the Washington-Wilkes Jaycees. He became a State officer, then a National Director, responsible for guiding the charter of numerous Jaycee chapters in the state of Georgia. He was later instrumental in the establishment of Wilkes Academy, where he served many years on the Board of Trustees, several as Chairman. He also coached the Academy’s boys and girls track teams, leading them to state championships seven years in a row, and was awarded the Southeast Association of Independent Schools Coach of the Year Award many times over. Boots proudly served in the Georgia National Guard as well, retiring from the Thomson unit with the rank of First Sergeant after twenty-two years of service. In 1972, Boots opened Kettle Creek Arms, a hunting and sporting goods store in downtown Washington that became his life’s passion. Over the next forty-four years he grew the business into a local institution. He especially cherished the relationships he developed with customers who became life-long friends, some of whom came by most days to eat lunch at the back counter, others who traveled from other states every year to hunt and to spend time in “the Store.” Known for his strong opinions and colorful way of expressing them, Boots was soft as putty when it came to his daughters and later his four grandchildren, who affectionately called him “Papa Boots.” He adored them, as they did him. Boots was a talented gardener and landscaper, regularly spending the evening hours working in his yard, tending to his scuppernong vines and flowers. He loved the American West, and from an early age was an avid reader andcollector of books, particularly Hardy Boys books and western novels of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey. He was also a great lover of dogs and cats, doting upon them even in his later years as his disease progressed. Boots was a member of Washington First Baptist Church for over sixty years. Survivors include his wife of sixty-one years, Shirley LeRoy Gunter; two daughters, Allison Hale and husband Bill of Athens, and Alicia Brown and husband Cread of Clermont; grandchildren Emmeline Hale of Washington, D.C., Isabelle Hale of Athens, Luke Brown and Porter Brown of Clermont; nieces Susan Chafin (Mack) of Washington; Mary Martin (Jerry) of Beech Island, SC, Julie Anne Gibb (Gerry) of Fort Valley; and Laura Fortson Elam (Neil) of Charlotte, NC; nephews Allen Gunter (Sylvia) of North Augusta, SC, and John Fortson (Olivia) of Charlotte; sister-in-law Evelyn Fortson and husband Norman of Charlotte. Boots was preceded in death by his parents and his four brothers: Lewis Gunter of Fort Valley; Allen Gunter, killed in action (WWII); Walter Gunter of Washington; and Ralph “Buck” Gunter of Aiken, S.C. Boots’ family thanks the administration and staff at Quiet Oaks Nursing Home in Crawford for the loving care they gave him during his final months. The family also appreciates the prayers and concerns expressed by so many in the Washington area during Boots’ illness and feels blessed to be a part of such a caring community. Donations in Boots’ honor may be made to the Washington-Wilkes Animal Shelter, 358 Brown Dr., Washington, GA30673, or to the charity of your choice. A memorial service with Full Military Honors by the GA Army National Guard will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at the Washington First Baptist Church with Revs. Jim Newsome, Kevin Madden, and Albert Huyck officiating. The family will receive friends from 6-8pm Tuesday evening, January 28, 2020, at Hopkins Funeral Home.