William "Bill" Hunt

William Riley “Bill” Hunt, age 85, passed away Friday, August 14, 2020.

He was born September 11, 1934 in Grove, OK. to the late Riley Q Hunt and Jane Matthews Hunt.

His wife, Charlotte McCormick Hunt, preceded him in death on October 26, 2018.

He started playing his trumpet as a school boy, though his love for music started with the bugle. His sister Judy remembers him at 8 years old, on the family porch in Jay, playing 'Taps' on the bugle. Though his life, his melodies carried him to New York, Las Vegas and across the world.

He worked for the Woody Herman Band among many others, winning the band a Grammy for his solo in “The Days of Wine and Roses.”  Bill Riley was a member of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Survivors include one daughter, Elizabeth Markowitz and husband, Mark, Grove; one sister, Judy Haller and husband Fred, Las Vegas; his nephew and good friend, Richard Lock and wife, Kathy, Monkey Island; three nieces, Kathleen, Cindy and Jane Ann.

In lieu of funeral services, we encourage you to enjoy his music, which lives in the hearts and souls of his band mates, family and friends.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Worley-Luginbuel funeral home, Grove.