Senior Master Sergeant, Air Force Retired, Marlin Ray Hunt, 92, of Peculiar, Missouri, passed away peacefully on Friday, 20 March 2026, at Foxwood Springs in Raymore, MO. Memorial Services  and a Masonic Service were held on Friday, 3 April 2026, at the First Church of Peculiar in Peculiar, MO. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers may be given to the First Church of Peculiar.

Marlin was born on 8 September 1933, in Waldron, MO, to Clarence and Hazel (Randall) Hunt and dedicated a significant part of his life to serving his country with honor in the United States Air Force from 1952 until his retirement in 1980. Marlin specialized in small arms training during his Air Force career and received numerous accolades and awards. He was known for his pistol marksmanship, tough demeanor and making his organizations better. A highlight he used to talk about was guarding the Bell X-1 and meeting Chuck Yaeger while he was stationed at Edwards AFB, CA. The Air Force allowed him to experience living in many places including California, Libya, Missouri, Colorado, Montana, Greece, Nevada and New Mexico.

Upon retiring from the Air Force, he worked as a District Sales Manager for the El Paso Times in Alamogordo, NM, before retiring for good and moving back to MO to pursue his dreams of being closer to family, raising cattle, and enjoying the good life of a small town. He was actively involved in the First Church of Peculiar, where he found strength and fellowship, and he was a proud member of Grand River Masonic Lodge #276 in Freeman, MO. Marlin married the love of his life, Peggy Allan, on 27 April 1955. They enjoyed 67 years of marriage and shared a journey filled with love, laughter, and tough times, raising their children: Jeffery, Gregory, Pamela and Curtis along the way.

Marlin was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; 2 brothers; and 4 sisters. He is survived by his children, of whom he was very proud: Jeffery (Kristin) Hunt; Gregory (Patricia) Hunt; Pamela (James) Reilly; and Curtis (Jill) Hunt; grandchildren: Rocky (Chelsea) Hunt; Brandon (Dawnee) Hunt; Alicia (Sean) Morrison; Joshua (Megan) Reilly; Sean (Dani) Reilly; Laurel; Jonah; Elijah; Silas Hunt; 5 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is remembered by his children as a loving, God-fearing man who loved Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior and loved to talk with anyone about anything, but especially about his family.

The family would like to thank the staff at Foxwood Springs in Raymore and the St Croix Hospice nurses who made Marlin's final days peaceful.