"Tom was one of my best friends back in the 70's. I worked at Bill and Paul's Sport Haus and sold Tom much of his outdoor equipment as well as getting him involved in new things like Kayaking.. I even helped get Letty involved in the great outdoors. Tom always had a good story to tell around the campfire and on the trail which he always told with one of his wonderful smiles. His voice was a little rough but full of colorful sayings. I remember one story about his time as a union steward. The company hired an efficiency expert and he watched Tom for days; Tom went into the managers office and asked what the man had learned about his job. The manager said that he was always working and he couldn't see a thing to improve. So Tom said " If you fire this fool and give us a raise in salary I will promise you a 20% increase in production for the next 30 days." The manager said done. Letty I missed Toms' latter years, but I respected his request for privacy. I hope you and your family the best. Jack Keyes"
In loving memory of
Thomas William Huntoon
April 6, 1942 - August 1, 2021
Huntoon, Thomas W. Hesperia, age 79, passed away peacefully in his sleep, the morning of Sunday August 1st, 2021. He was born in Muskegon on April 6th,1942 to Willard and Irene (Pomeroy) Huntoon of North Muskegon.
Tom was a graduate of Michigan State where he graduated with a degree in Secondary Education. He
Majored in Political Science and Minored in History. After college, Tom soon discovered, teaching was not for him. Being mechanical, and good with his hands, Tom began working as a machinist for Kaydon Corporation where he stayed for 25 years.
On July 27th, 1963, Tom married his wife of 58 years Letitia (Stein) Huntoon in Muskegon. She survives him, along with their son Greg Huntoon, his wife Amy (Brueck) Huntoon; 3 grandchildren, Alex Huntoon, his wife Rianne (Cortez) Huntoon, Kelsey (Huntoon) Lewis, her husband Patrick Lewis, and Josh Huntoon; 4 great grandchildren, Deacon Huntoon, Everett Huntoon, James Lewis, and Thea Lewis.
Tom was an avid outdoorsman and hunter. Later he preferred to hunt with his camera. In the mid-70s Tom had helped to map a significant portion of the North Country Trail in Michigan. Tom was also an avid sailor or a "Man of the cloth" as they used to joke. His love of the outdoors would ultimately lead to opening a local canoe and kayak business. Tom was a member of the West Michigan Coastal Kayakers Association (WMCKA) and started the first annual Canoe and Kayak Symposium 1989.
WMCKA Symposium has been going strong over 30 years until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
From hiking the length of Isle Royale, as well as several other great lakes Islands, winter camping, climbing the White Mountains of New Hampshire, to running, swimming, water skiing, biking, hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, dog sledding, or spelunking, Tom loved to try it all with his wife and son. Being an excellent swimmer, Tom was most at home in or near the water.
No services planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider Hospice of Michigan. Please visit www.muskegoncremation.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.