Christopher (Kip) Allen Hunter

Christopher (Kip) Allen Hunter

Long Beach, CA

Christopher (Kip) Allen Hunter was born May 12, 1940, to Jesse and Mildred Hunter in Cedar Rapids, IA, where he grew up the middle of three sons. He attended Jefferson High School, and there he met his future wife, Sheryl Immerfall. They were married August 20, 1960, and immediately moved to Rantoul, IL, as Chris had enlisted in the Air Force. After his tour was up, they moved back to Cedar Rapids with Brett and Debra, who had been born to them in Illinois. He joined the Cedar Rapids Fire Dept. where his father, Jesse, was the Chief and his grandfather had been a fireman.

In 1965, however, the call of “Iowa by the Sea,” Long Beach, CA, caused Chris to pack all their worldly belongings into their VW Bug, put Sheryl and the kids on the train, and move to sunny SoCal. Once there, they would add another daughter, Lynn, to the family.

In 1966, Chris began his career with the Long Beach Fire Dept. In his 27 years of service, he rose

through the ranks, eventually becoming Fire Chief in 1988 until his retirement at the end of 1993.

Throughout his life, Chris enjoyed camping and fishing. When he was 41, he decided to get healthier, so he quit smoking and took up bicycling. Over the next 35+ years, he made several cross-country rides on his bike, including a 10-week mountain bike ride from Canada to Mexico along the Rocky Mountains. Altogether, he logged tens of thousands of miles, with Sheryl driving the motorhome on many of these miles.

Chris was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015 at the age of 75. After a slow but steady decline, his condition became more acute this last year. After a seizure in early July, his condition even more sharply declined until he passed away August 1, 2024, at Westmont of Cypress memory care.

Chris is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sheryl Hunter, his older brother John (Becky), younger brother Steve (Suzanne), his three children; Brett (Laura) Hunter, of Long Beach, Debra Hunter of Bigfork, MT, and Lynn Hunter-Holloway (Marty) of Sacramento, three grandchildren; Jason Hunter (Ryann Higgins), Jami Hunter, and Hunter Holloway, and two great grandchildren; Presley Hunter and Peyton Hunter, and a great granddaughter due in December.

Service will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 6500 Stearns St., Long Beach, Ca 90815 on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 1 pm.