DUNAGIN

noon paper, the Orlando Evening Star, and eventually became syndicated in more than 50 newspapers before retiring in 2001. He was known for his sharp, clever cartoons and captions that poked fun at everyday life.

“Nobody ever forgets him,” said Karlene Dunagin, 82, his wife of 22 years.

Dunagin was easy-going with a big heart, said Dana Summers, 70, an editorial cartoonist who worked at the Sentinel with Dunagin for about 30 years.

The duo worked together on “The Middletons,” a comic strip that features a suburban family and their neighbors who endure the everyday struggles of aging. Summers would do the dailies while Dunagin did the Sundays and the two split the writing. They worked on the comic together up until a few a years ago.

Summers joked that he earned a “master’s degree” in caption writing through working with Dunagin. He said a former editor of theirs said Dunagin’s captions were “smooth as silk.”

Jane Healy, a former managing and opinions editor at the Sentinel, said she had only positive memories of Dunagin. She described him as a “low-key” professional who only those close to him knew harbored an artsy, sarcastic soul.

“You’d never guess he was a funny cartoonist,” she said. “He was terrific.”

One of her favorite cartoons poked fun at the editorial board, saying they were “short handed” that day because a couple of members were out with “good moods.” The cartoon still hangs in her house.

Dunigan was a complex man, gifted in what he did, yet still humble in nature, said Julia Bourque, his 54-year-old step daughter. Outside of his work, he loved the outdoors and water color painting.

“It was amazing, he wasn’t a comedian on show he was so simple, so unassuming, so quiet, humble,” Bourque said.

John Haile, 75, a former editor of the Sentinel, said Dunigan’s dry humor and soft touch stood out in comparison to other cartoonists overtly political undertones.

One of his favorite memories of Dunigan’s work was when a large storm hit the area and dumped frogs across State Road 434. The editorial pages still needed to be filled, so Dunigan came up with the idea of referencing the “raining frogs.”

He joked how someone should just start kissing them all, as at least one of them is bound to be a prince, Haile said. Anybody could write about the frogs, but Dunigan saw the lighter side of the crazy situation.

“It reflected how his cartoons spoke,” Haile said.

Dunagin is survived by his wife, brother, sister-inlaw, children, step-children and six grandchildren. A memorial will be held for him Saturday.

Every cartoonist knows him and his work, Summers said, and everyone who was lucky enough is proud to have known and learned from him.

“He was just a really good guy,” Summers said. “It’s a loss for the field of cartooning and loss for everyone that knew him.”