Andrew Hunter
Andrew Merrill Hunter was born August 31, 1992, at Madison, South Dakota to Mary and Jon
Hunter. He died February 1, 2023, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls after a long illness.
Growing up in Madison, he embraced all sorts of activities: softball, piano, soccer, basketball,
band, bowling, choir, scouting and delivering newspapers. He played football and tennis for
Madison High School and sang in the choir. He studied accounting at Dakota State University
and participated in the DSU choir and Phi Beta Lambda business club.
After college, he worked at the Madison Daily Leader in bookkeeping, production and sales. He
was an active member at South Dakota newspaper events and attended every Newspaper Day
at the South Dakota legislature from when he was in fifth grade until the pandemic. In May
2022, he was honored with the Service of Excellence Award by the South Dakota Newspaper
Association.
Besides participating in sports, Andy was an engaged spectator. With his dad, he attended a
different major league baseball stadium each summer, and joked about the unexpected events
like parking garage jams, rain delays, traffic re-routing or meeting players after the game. He
also attended NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA Tour, minor league baseball, college football and basketball
games, as well as hundreds of high school games. He worked as a statistician and occasional
color commentator on Daily Leader Live broadcasts of Madison High School and Dakota State
University events.
Andy traveled to Europe three times, visiting England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria,
Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He always remembered details of travels that helped
us relive the great memories. Otter Tail Lake in Minnesota was a favorite annual summer
destination that he enjoyed with our dear friends Bud and Mary Egdahl.
Andy adored his aunts, uncles and cousins, and always looked forward to seeing them. He was
the first in the family to start an email thread asking about where we should celebrate the next
holiday. Sunday nights in recent years meant “MacQuitty games” when Andy, his aunt, uncle
and cousins would play games over their cellphones from locations around the country and
laugh through the evening.
Andy was a man of faith, being an active member of two churches in Madison and often
attending services at both on the same weekend. He rang handbells and sang in the youth and
adult choirs at Trinity Lutheran Church. He attended annual International House of Prayer
events in Kansas City with his friend Daryl Becker. He was comfortable engaging in conversation
with anyone.
He is survived by his parents Jon and Mary Hunter, sister Carolyn, grandparents James and
Dorothy Christopherson, uncles Tom Christopherson, John Christopherson, Jonathan MacQuitty
and David Zenoff, aunts Ginny Christopherson, Cathy Christopherson, Laurie Hunter and Janet
Hunter, and cousins Alexandra Hunter Zenoff, Zander MacQuitty, Phillip MacQuitty, Johnny
Christopherson, Sarah Christopherson, Matt Christopherson, Nick Christopherson and Peter
Christopherson. He was preceded in death by grandparents Merrill and Beverly Hunter.
The family would like to thank the extraordinary healthcare workers at Madison Regional
Health and Avera McKennan Hospital.
Visitation with the family will begin Friday, February 10 at 6 p.m. at Rustand-Weiland Funeral
Chapel in Madison, with a brief prayer service at 8 p.m. The funeral will be held Saturday,
February 11 at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison. A committal service will be held in
the Spring. Online register book is at www.rustandweilandfuneral.com.
Memorials can be directed to the Madison Central School Educational Foundation, the Trinity
Lutheran Church Foundation, or another charity of choice.
