Charlene Hunter, born May 14, 1944, in Buffalo Center, Iowa, to Charles and Anna Tutton, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2025, with her family by her side. Charlene is survived by her son Jason, his wife Marites, and her grandson Josh. She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 40 years, W. Harold Hunter, who passed in 2020. Her family was the light of her life.
After graduating high school, Charlene attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and began her teaching career in nearby high schools. For decades she taught seventh-grade English at Waverly-Shell Rock Junior High. One of her students was her own son, Jason, whom she taught both formally and informally, and who credits her with teaching him most of what he knows about writing, which he later used to author a best-selling book.
Charlene was also a talented musician and served as pianist and organist for her church for many years. Her precision and dedication extended beyond the classroom and the church. Her kitchen and garage were perfectly organized, with every item in its place and labeled.
In 1988, Charlene left teaching and moved to Corvallis when Harold accepted a position at Oregon State University. She enrolled at OSU, earned a master’s degree, and began a second career as fleet manager at Hewlett-Packard, where she put her attention to detail to good use until her well-deserved early retirement.
Charlene kept busy in retirement. She volunteered with the OSU Thrift Store, Assistance League of Corvallis (ALC), and served on the board of Consumer Power. Through her volunteer work, she formed deep friendships and found great joy.
Charlene was also an avid tole painter. She could transform plain wooden objects into works of art, often donating them to ALC’s Galleria fundraiser. Her family would joke if you left something out, it might be painted by the following week. In 1999, she joined a painting class and connected with three women who became her best friends: Linda LaPlante, Helen Tedder, and Helen Whitaker. The foursome met every Thursday morning to paint, though later the painting gave way to coffee and conversation. Charlene had a dry wit that took people by surprise and filled a room with laughter. Her loyalty, kindness, organization, and care will be dearly missed.
All obituary information has been taken from the funeral home, newspaper or other online resource.
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