‘Mighty good man’ - Jasper Hunter was a WWII veteran and Christian leader from Rock Enon

Jasper Hunter was born on the historic Rock Enon Farm south of Russellville. He was an active member of the Rock Enon Baptist Church and was later ordained in the ministry, serving several congregations prior to his death. Courtesy of Linda Amick

Woven into the background of our communities are the names of certain individuals whose contributions are appreciated and fondly remembered. Jasper Isaac Hunter, born of rather meager beginnings on a historic farm near Enon, is one such person—known as a man of unwavering Christian faith, a World War II veteran, farmer, and a positive influence in the lives of those with whom he interacted.
 
The Rock Enon Farm is a collection of historic structures located on State Highway V south of Russellville. A central remaining feature of this area is the limestone block house completed in 1872 and originally home to family of early pioneer Lewis Bruce.
 
“In the spring of 1919, the farm was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Hunter,” explained the Moniteau County History book published in 1980. “They moved into the rock house on March 1 of that year,” the book further noted.
 
Born on his parents’ Rock Enon Farm on July 8, 1919, Jasper Hunter was raised an only child but was imbued with an agricultural work ethic. Coming of age near the rural Moniteau County community of Enon, he attended the one-room Enon School and worked daily to assist his parents on their farm consisting of more than 200 acres.
 
“As I grew up, my father Henry Hunter, made our living by milking cows, separating the milk, feeding the skim milk to the hogs and selling the cream,” Hunter wrote in an article titled “Memories of Olean” and printed in the Eldon Advertiser on January 20, 1994.  He added, “We had no electricity, so the separator was powered by manual labor as well.”
 
Hunter also spoke about his attendance at the local Enon School, where Dorothy Hahn—who had taught at many one-room schools throughout Mid-Missouri—had been his teacher. Graduating from the eighth grade in 1933, he then had to make the decision whether to travel to Russellville or Olean for the remainder of his education.
 
“Frank Licklider, the newly hired superintendent at Olean Schools, drove to our home in his Model A Ford and convinced mother and dad I would get more personal attention in a small school, such as Olean,” Hunter explained.
 
Graduating in 1937, Hunter remained a member of the Rock Enon Baptist Church, which was across a small creek from his family’s historic home. He married Irma Lee Althoff, a native of California, Missouri, on October 18, 1941.
 
But as World War II continued to unfold, he began to seek other possibilities as employment opportunities seemed to have evaporated from his rural surroundings during the Great Depression, Hunter moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to work for Glenn L. Martin Aircraft before transferring to the company’s plant in Omaha, Nebraska.
 
While in Omaha, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces on June 17, 1946, more than ten months after the official end of World War II.
 
“He was a mechanic in the Air Transport Command and his overseas duty was in Europe,” explained an article appearing in the California Democrat on August 30, 1995. “One particular assignment was to service American planes ferrying servicemen from the Mediterranean Theater to Miami, Florida.” The article added, “His station was Lisbon, Portugal and since Portugal was not in the war, he was issued civilian clothes…. His primary job was to refuel the planes.”
 
Receiving his discharge on June 16, 1949 (after having been part of the transition of the U.S. Army Air Forces to its new designation as the U.S. Air Force), Hunter returned to Missouri and later moved into a small house near his parents’ Rock Enon home. Several months after Hunter’s return from military service, his father passed away and the following year the family held a sale to dispose of some antiques, household items, livestock, and machinery.
 
“Most of the farm is under cultivation with some permanent pasture and timber,” the Miller County Autogram wrote about Hunter’s agricultural endeavors on January 13, 1955. “Most of it is devoted to growing of certified seed corn, wheat and oats.”
 
Hunter’s mother, Fronia, passed away in 1958; he and his wife continued living near Rock Enon. He remained active in Rock Enon Baptist Church, serving as a deacon, assisting with Sunday school classes, and leading the singing while his wife often played piano.
 
As the years passed, in addition to farming, Hunter was employed briefly with the Moniteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service and was manager of the MFA Exchange in Russellville for two years in the early 1960s. He was later hired as parts manager for Tri-County Tractor Sales in Eldon, from which he retired in 1984.
 
He and his wife moved to Eldon in 1972 and eventually sold their Rock Enon home. When the Rock Enon Baptist Church merged with Enon Baptist Church in 1961, he became a member of the latter, but in 1984, was licensed to preach at First Baptist Church in Eldon.
 
“He was called to pastor Hopewell Union Church, and in the one hundred and twenty-five plus years of the church, he was the first asked to serve as pastor of all three congregations (Baptist, Christian and Presbyterian),” his obituary stated. “After some seventeen years of service he retired due to his health.”
 
Hunter’s first wife, Irma, passed away in 1987 and is buried in Enloe Cemetery near Russellville. Hunter married Lois Curty in 1992; however, following his death on September 16, 2009, he was laid to rest alongside his first wife.
 
The Rock Enon Baptist Church has long been demolished but many from the area still retain fond memories of Hunter’s lasting influence in their own Christian journey.
 
“We used to detassel corn for him on his farm back many years ago,” recalled Raymond Enloe, who grew up on a farm north of Rock Enon. “He was also the Sunday School teacher for me and many of brothers and sisters. And as I got a little older, I went on fishing and hunting trips with him, and he was certainly a dedicated Christian and a great storyteller.”
 
 He added, “Ol’ Jasper was just a mighty good man.”
 
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of “Moments on the Moreau" and "Hidden History of Cole County." 

In the months following the end of World War II, Hunter was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces and served in Portugal. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick