David L. Gunn Jr., 82
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. â€' David L. Gunn Jr., 82, of East Main Street died Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington. In his youth, he was a model for Norman Rockwell's "Golden Rule" and "Right to Know" paintings.
Born in Tuskegee, Ala., on April 9, 1927, the son of David and Sinclaira Hicks Gunn, his family moved to Stockbridge when he was a child. He attended local schools and graduated from Lee High School in 1944. He went on to attend Allen University in Columbia, S.C.
An Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he enlisted on July 11, 1950. He received the National Defense Medal before being honorably discharged on Aug. 2, 1954.
Mr. Gunn worked as a machine tender at Kimberly-Clark Co. in Lee.
He was an avid sportsman and played football, baseball and his favorite, basketball. He also enjoyed fishing and cars.
He and his wife, the former Velma Preston, were married April 1, 1952.
Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Lynda Gunn of Stockbridge; a brother, Wray Gunn and his wife, Cora, of Sheffield; a granddaughter, Arlyn Traylor and her partner, Paul Gage, of Otis; a sister-in-law, Barbara Gunn of Washington, D.C., and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his brother St. Clair Reed Gunn.
FUNERAL NOTICE â€' A service celebrating the life of Mr. Gunn will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, at noon at First Congregational Church in Stockbridge. Burial with military honors will follow in Stockbridge Cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the David L. Gunn Memorial Fund through Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevens.com.