Mack Williss Hunt

McPherson (Mack) Williss Hunt, loving husband and father of five children, passed away in Huntsville, Alabama, on May 14, 2021, at the age of 87.  He was born May 30, 1933, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Burt Williss Hunt and Elizabeth Julia McPherson Hunt.

He graduated from Lincoln High School, earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Masters of Organic Chemistry degree from the University of Nebraska (in 1957).  He served as a reservist for eight years in the Naval Air Corps, including active duty on an aircraft carrier, with the rank of Electrician 3/C.

Mack married Audrey Fae Alexander and they had five children:  Mark Alan, Scott Williss, Julia Fae (John Hackbarth), Kevin Roy, and Eric Earl (Cristy).

Mack worked as a research chemist in the petrochemical industry in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Petrolia, Pennsylvania, Natchez, Mississippi, and became Director of Research for Amoco Chemical Company in Naperville, Illinois.  Upon his retirement, he held 51 U.S. patents and many foreign patents, ranging from motor oil detergents and rust inhibiters to rocket fuels.

Mack coached Flag Football for the YMCA and was on the YMCA Board of Directors in Ponca City, Oklahoma.  He was an Eagle Scout and served as an Explorer advisor.  He loved to fish, hunt pheasant, quail and duck with his children and his Irish Setter, Duffy.

Mack and Audrey enjoyed skiing in the U.S. and abroad and volunteered in the Ski Patrol. In 1970, they bought a cabin in the town of Allenspark, Colorado.  Upon retirement, they purchased a house in Estes Park, Colorado, but retained their cabin in nearby Allenspark, where Mack served as Chairman of the Board for the Allenspark Community Church and sang in the choir for over twenty-five years. Mack’s special enjoyment was singing the solo song “Oh, Holy Night” for the annual Christmas Eve service.  He and his wife Audrey also volunteered at the YMCA of the Rockies and directed the Water Exercise Class for over twenty years.

Mack loved magic. He bought his first trick when he was only thirteen, using his summer job money.  As “Mack the Magician,” he gave magic shows from the time he bought his first trick to the end of his life.  Always willing to entertain all ages with his magic, his shows captivated audiences from kindergarten classrooms to hotels in Germany.

He was active in the Republican Party, serving as Party Chairman for Kay County, Oklahoma.  He had the honor of meeting with two Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.  He became active in politics again in Estes Park in 2007 when he established and led the Estes Park Tea Party Patriots chapter.  

He was honored to receive the Young Alumni Service Award from Nebraska Wesleyan University.  In 1968-70, he was also listed in Outstanding Young Men of America, Personalities of the South, and Who’s Who in American Politics.

Continuing a lifetime of learning, Mack and Audrey earned Associates Degrees in Travel and Tourism in their fifties and they enjoyed travelling. Mack consulted with clients all over the world including Brazil, Korea, and Germany. They studied the German language, and Mack learned to speak fluently so that he could give his “Mack the Magician” shows to the guests of the hotels that they visited in Germany and Austria while speaking and making jokes in their language.

Mack and Audrey recently moved from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama, where their youngest son, Eric, his wife Cristy, and three grandsons make their homes.  Mack is survived by his wife, Audrey, a sister, Betty, five children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by a brother, William “Bill” Hunt, and a granddaughter, Alia Fae Hackbarth.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation in Mack’s name to:

Allenspark Community Church

PO Box 45

Allenspark CO 80510

Or

Allenspark Fire Department

PO Box 153

Allenspark Colorado 80510