Hunt, Arthur Walter

Arthur Walter Hunt, 81, of Rocky Hill and formerly of Ridgefield and Greenwich, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at St. Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT. Born in Chichester, Sussex, England on October 8, 1939, the only child of the late Albert Walter and Jessie Elizabeth (Godfrey) Hunt. He was raised in Sussex, England and was a graduate of Brighton & Hove Grammar School. He continued his education at the London School of Economics. After graduation, Arthur became a chartered accountant with the firm of Arthur Andersen. On December 14, 1963, Arthur married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Mountford in Brighton, Sussex, England, and the young couple began what would turn into a 57-year international adventure. Arthur's first position after qualifying as a chartered accountant was to open an office for Thomson McLintock in Lisbon, Portugal. His most important client being the Gulbenkian Foundation, which today is the cultural backbone of Portugal. He and his wife Mary started a family and welcomed two daughters while living in Portugal, Lucy Louise and Maria Fernanda. Following on his success in Lisbon, and now a partner, he moved to Lima, Peru and later Sao Paulo, Brazil where he and his family lived for 10 years. Arthur's last assignment with the firm was in Stamford, CT and the firm at that time was known as, Klynveld Peat Goerdeler (KPG). He and his family settled in Ridgefield, CT. After five years and only in his forties, he followed his wife's passion for art, left his partner position with what would become one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, KPMG, and purchased an art supply and framing business in Greenwich, CT. The business was small, but Arthur and Mary realized the potential and added an art gallery which featured British artists many of whom were a part of the Royal Academy in England. With their daughters off at college, Arthur and Mary resumed their travel and attracted artists from all over the United Kingdom to display their work at their gallery in Greenwich. After 16 years, they decided to sell the business, Barney's Place & Art Gallery on Greenwich Avenue, and retire to Portugal where their married life had begun. They purchased a beautiful home, Casa Colina in Tavira, The Algarve. Arthur planted a vineyard and enjoyed gardening and tending the fruit trees on the property. While in Portugal, they joined the local Church of England, enjoyed playing Bridge, food, wine, culture, and their many friends. In 2019, Arthur and Mary move back to the United States for health reasons. Arthur continued to play Bridge and was working towards his goal of becoming a Life Master. In recent years, he enjoyed going for walks, home cooked meals, attending Park Congregational Church in Norwich where his granddaughter (Abigail) sang. Besides his loving wife and partner in adventure for almost 60 years, he leaves; Lucy Louise Gilson, Ph.D. and her husband Paul William Read Gilson, Ph.D. of Vernon, CT, and Maria Fernanda Hunt of Merida, Mexico; two grandchildren, Abigail Sybil Gilson and Simon Arthur Gilson; a sister-in-law, Helen Hankins of Interlochen, MI; and a niece and nephew, Tracy and Andrew Hankins both of Michigan. A memorial service to celebrate Arthur's wonderful life will be held on Friday, May 21, 11 a.m., at Park Congregational Church, 283 Broadway, Norwich. Ladd-Turkington & Carmon Funeral Home in Vernon has care of the arrangements. For online condolences please visit, www.carmonfuneralhome.com.