Avis Cline Hunt, 90, of Salem, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 12, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of love, friendship, and devotion to family and community.
Avis was born in Wytheville, Virginia, and fondly recounted childhood memories of “visiting relatives in the country”, movies with news reels and serials, five cent ice cream cones, her pet chicken that she pushed around in a stroller, and helping her daddy around the garden. She graduated from Emory & Henry College in 1957, and later earned her master’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1964. Following college, she began her career teaching English and Spanish at William Byrd High School before going on to become one of the first guidance counselors at Northside High School.
After her children were born, she dedicated herself to full-time parenting and embraced family-centered activities, including sewing clothing, attending her children’s sporting events, painting ceramics, and participating in Scouting, where she served as a Girl Scout leader for more than ten years. As her children grew older, she became a regular presence at Salem High School football games and before most games could be found in the Lions Club concession stand making hot dogs and popcorn.
Avis had an enduring passion for genealogy and loved nothing better than collecting family stories from relatives and spending hours in courthouses and cemeteries long before the internet existed. She preserved impeccable family records and documented numerous family stories, both poignant and funny, that she loved passing to the next generation. Her love of history extended to civic involvement. Avis was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a longtime member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy where she held numerous offices. She also was active in United Methodist Women, her church Circle, and served as the archivist of the history room at the First United Methodist Church in Salem, where her faith and fellowship were an important part of who she was.
Friendship was central to Avis’s life. Beginning in the late 1960s, she shared decades of laughter and travel with a beloved bridge group whose bond endured long after the cards were put away. Over the years, they went on many adventures together to Florida and the mountains and found out the fun way that Long Island Iced Tea isn’t made with tea. Although they hadn’t played bridge in quite a while, they continued to gather long after for good food and great conversation.
Above all, Avis was a devoted mother and grandmother who treasured time with her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Pierce Cline and Annie Bell Cline; and her beloved husband, Walter Akers Hunt.
She is survived by her children, Laura and Curtis Burchett and Michael and Jeff Hunt; and by her grandchildren, Cody, Kelsey, and Ryan Burchett.
Although her story has ended, her legacy lives on.
The family would like to thank the staff of Brookdale Roanoke for the love, care, and support that they showed Avis and her family for the last 8 months.
A service celebrating Avis’s life will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the John M. Oakey & Son Chapel in Salem, Virginia, with Reverend Alan Combs officiating. Interment will follow at Sherwood Memorial Park, also in Salem. The family will receive friends one hour before the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Walter A. Hunt and Avis Hunt endowment of the Salem Education Foundation and Alumni Association at https://connect.clickandpledge.com/Organization/sefandaa/. Online condolences may be made at www.johnmoakey.com.
