Rodney Clark Hunt of Marblehead, beloved husband of Kathryn Martin Hunt for almost 68 years, died peacefully on May 4, 2020, of complications from COVID-19. He was born November 29, 1929 to Beulah Goodwin and Thomas Clark. He and his older brother, the late Thomas J. Hunt of Rochelle, Illinois, were raised primarily in Marblehead, until the premature death of their father amid the Great Depression. Beulah met and married Arthur John Hunt, and sister Jane, the late Jane Hunt Schweizer of Huntington, NY, was born soon after. The boys were adopted by AJ and took his surname.

Rodney graduated from Marblehead High School in 1948. He attended Tufts University for two years before enlisting in the Army during the Korean War. He served stateside in the Army Medical Corps and was honorably discharged in 1953. Kathyrn and Rodney were married at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, on May 31, 1952. Following his service, Rodney graduated from Wentworth Institute and Northeastern University with degrees in architectural engineering and business administration. He started in Boston at two specialty architectural firms before joining Polaroid in 1960, where he worked as an architectural project engineer throughout its heyday, retiring after 32 years. A committed and exacting engineer, his projects included test and production facilities for the first instant color film and later film for the groundbreaking SX-70 camera.

A true old Marbleheader, Rod loved the water and all forms of boating. He was an avid sailor who grew up racing Town Class, and later Typhoons and Corinthians. His stinkpot adventures netted few fish, but many pounds of ice cream from trips to Manchester with his grandchildren.

He was an active athlete throughout life. He enjoyed competitive tennis and swam into his early eighties. Passionate about gardening, he also enjoyed friendly competition over homegrown vegetables with his brother and friends from work.

Rod was a dedicated craftsman who loved working with his hands throughout his life, on many home renovations, furniture projects, and ship models. He was artistic and took up oil painting, producing lovely scenes of sailboats and sailing ships, Marblehead, and New England.

Rod and Kay enjoyed summer visits to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard with their children's families, and later in life, trips across the US and to Europe, the UK, and the Caribbean.

Rodney is survived by the love of his life, wife Kathryn, son Stephen R. Hunt of Swampscott, daughter Amanda H. Thibert of Marblehead, their spouses Kim Hunt and Joseph Thibert, and four grandchildren, Emma and Anna Hunt, and Paige and Matthew Thibert. Surviving extended family includes his brother's wife Kathleen, their children and grandchildren, his sister's husband Tom, their children and grandchildren, along with nieces and nephews Carol Howie Eldridge, Robert Howie, Jr., Steven Brandt, and their families.

Rod and his family are members of Saint Michael's Episcopal Church in Marblehead, where a virtual funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 9th, 2020 at 11 AM. Please visit St. Michael's Facebook page at Facebook.com/stmichaels1714 – to view the service.

Burial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Rodney to Saint Michael's Church, 26 Pleasant Street, Marblehead MA 01945.