Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt died on October 7, 2014, honorably defending Yosemite National Park from the Dog Rock Fire. He was the beloved husband and best friend of Sara (Keenan) Hunt; devoted father of Nancy Hunt and Sarah Hunt Lauterbach (Cole); son of S. Jackson Hunt and the later Beverly Hunt.

An air tanker pilot with DynCorp in California that provided firefighting support to Cal Fire, Craig also taught chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A man of the outdoors, he was a former Navy lieutenant commander and had been a firefighting pilot for 13 years. He held a B.S from Wittenberg University, an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of California Santa Cruz, and an MBA from the University of Southern California. Born October 14, 1951, in Richmond, Indiana, he was an Eagle Scout and 1970 Male Athlete of the Year in Western North Carolina, where he attended the Asheville School.

Craig married his college sweetheart, Sally, in 1975 when he was a P3 pilot, and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. He served in the Navy in an active and reserve capacity for a total of nearly two decades. In addition to firefighting and teaching, Craig loved flying, golfing, fishing, hiking, scuba diving, math and sciences, tutoring, and dogs.

Survivors also include his father, S. Jackson; two brothers, Stuart and Howard Hunt; a sister, Debbie Hunt Danner; and a loving fan club of nieces and nephews.

The loss of Craig will forever leave a hole in the hearts of everyone he touched. He was a loving husband, father, brother, mentor, educator, and to all, he was a friend.