Edgar “Ed” Hunter

Edgar “Ed” Hunter, age 86, of Ft. Smith, AR passed away on Monday, April 28, 2025, in Barling, AR. He was a loving father, son, and brother with a deep respect for art, nature, and history. Ed was born on August 27, 1938, in San Jose, CA to Ernest and Edith Hunter of Lavaca, AR. He graduated as class president from Lavaca High School in 1956.

He was a very creative man who was blessed with exceptional art abilities, even from a young age. While he spent the majority of his career as a commercial/graphic artist, early on, he took a correspondence course with none other than Charles Schulz of the Peanuts comic strip fame. While taking the classes, Ed was unaware of the significance of his teacher as this was before Mr. Schulz’s national and international acclaim!

One of Ed’s first jobs was as a gas station attendant in the Lavaca area. After graduating high school, he was employed by local businesses as a sign painter and lettering artist. His extraordinary talents quickly became known, and he was hired to paint large-scale advertisements for billboards, silos, and buildings. A few of his signs were for Coca Cola and were displayed in the Ft. Smith area in the 1960’s.

As Ed’s experience grew, he launched his own design firm, Huntergraphics, in Ft. Smith. Custom logos, illustrations, ad campaigns, and photography were among his strong suits. Some of his illustration work was even featured in the movie, “Kotch.” This Hollywood film was Jack Lemmon’s directorial debut and starred Walter Matthau. Closer to home, a few of Ed’s Arkansas clients were Riverside Furniture, ABF Freight (now ARC Best) and PRADCO Outdoors.

Ed’s attention to detail and artistic realism were admired by everyone who saw his work. He began drawing portraits and doing acrylic and oil paintings that won several awards and merits of honor in the advertising field. Upon retiring, he continued to paint for pleasure and had a vast collection of architectural, outdoor, Native American, and western works. A number of his originals are in museums and private collections.

He had a surprisingly quiet manner with a great sense of humor that made us all smile. Ed loved taking trips to photograph landscapes and nature. Those excursions often gave him ideas that he would turn into creative works of art. Whether the journey was long or short, his quest for new adventures often led him to take different routes coming and going just to see an array of scenery.

He was one of five children born to his parents Ernest and Edith Hunter, who preceded him in death. Also deceased are two brothers, Robert and Jerry Hunter, one sister Linda Hunter, and two grandchildren, Sarah and Rebekah Sneed.

He is survived by two daughters, Leslie (Tony) Kimes of Dripping Springs, TX and Tonya (David) Sneed of Flippin , AR. Three grandchildren, Jonathon (Trisha) Kimes of Dripping Springs, TX, Katherine (Daniel) Wingfield of Sherwood, AR, Elizabeth (Caleb) Dayer of Tuscaloosa, AL. Five great-grandchildren, Hunter and Audrey Kimes, Rhys Wingfield, Wake, and Merit Dayer. One sister Becky Tidwell of Ft. Smith, AR and multiple nieces and nephews, additional family members and friends.

The family would like to thank Aston Place Manor in Barling, AR for the attentive and loving care bestowed upon Ed in his last months of life.

There will be a Memorial, viewing of art and Celebration of Life at a future date.

We know he now rests in the hands of Jesus through his faith in our Lord and Savior. The hands with the only scars in Heaven are holding Ed now.

John 14:2-3