FRANKLIN – At 96, George Lyle “Doc” Hunnicutt recounted, “I was born in Franklin, North Carolina, on the fifth day of January, 1923, the youngest of six. Mama was 42 when I was born. I used to joke with her, ‘You made a bad mistake when you had me.’ Mama would just laugh and shake her head.”
“I was two or three years old when Daddy bought the old Junaluska Inn. It was on 29 acres, a mile and a half from the courthouse. I grew up there with my five siblings. My parents rented rooms to teachers… judges… solicitors… and whoever else came by. I was blessed to be surrounded with a big family and lots of friends.”
Doc loved bluegrass music, telling stories, and his family. On many occasions, callers could hear Maybelle Carter in the background singing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Doc believed in the circle of family and kept the family tied together through the fond memories he shared. Until the last few days of his life, George entertained us all with remembrances from the past.
The University of Georgia played a significant role in Doc’s life. “I met Barbara at Georgia in 1948, and we got married in 1950. I majored in agronomy and dairy production. At the time, my brother, Charles, and I owned a small dairy farm together in Franklin. I bought Charles out, and Barbara and I became dairy farmers. In 1956 I sold the farm and returned to Georgia to become a veterinarian. One of my professors hired me to work in diagnostic laboratories throughout North Carolina which were set up to support the agricultural community… and I enjoyed working in many of them.”
On Monday, Dec. 16, two weeks from his 97th birthday celebration, George “Doc” Hunnicutt, DVM, left the circle of his three children and their families, Lyle and Holly Hunnicutt, grandsons Travis and Evan of Wilmington and Adam of Boston, Massachusetts; Renee and John Brooks of Asheville; Gina and Wes Hunt of Jackson, Michigan, granddaughter Megan of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grandson Spenser of Detroit, Michigan; six great-grandchildren of Wilmington; and his admiring extended family. He is now in the circle of those who went before him including his parents, wife, and siblings, likely still regaling stories that bind us all together – the circle will never be broken. Fitting to the man, a celebration of life will be held Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Franklin.
Officiating the graveside service will be George Hunnicutt’s nephew, The Rev. Dr. Robert E. Reese and The Rev. Deacon Jeannette E. Reese. Friends and family are all invited to continue the celebration after the service with lunch and fellowship at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Center, 1288 Georgia Road, Franklin, NC.