Jerry Ray Gunter

Jerry Ray Gunter, 83, passed away Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at Rainey Hospice House in Anderson, SC after just over a year’s battle with both ALS and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).  

Born in Red Bay, AL, he was the son of the late Ray and Reba Eugenia Gray Gunter, both of Greenville, MS. 

He graduated from Greenville High School (where he was drum major) and earned his Bachelors’ degree in Physics from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a member of the Army Band.  He loved music, mastering the clarinet and later playing the bassoon in the Greenville Symphony.  After graduation, he worked as an aerospace engineer in Anaheim, CA, Huntsville, AL, and Houston, TX.  Jerry worked on the ultraviolet camera that captured lunar photos during the Apollo missions to the moon in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Taking a break from Aerospace Engineering, Jerry returned to Greenville, MS to open a light fixture store (the House of Lights) and to raise his family in his hometown.  He returned to the Engineering field when Boeing opened a facility in Greenville, MS, then transferred to Boeing in Wichita, KS.  Jerry ended his career at Lockheed Martin in Greenville, SC, from which he retired in 2004.   While Jerry’s passion in early life was music, after retirement he was able to build his woodworking shop and craft beautiful pieces for his family and friends.  He was happiest when he was using his table or hand saw to create amazing furniture for his children, or mantle clocks for his friends.  

He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years of marriage, Ingrid Gunter (Ohst) of Easley, SC, his children Erik Gunter (Kristen) of Greenville, SC and Kathryn Wiater (Tim) of Greer, SC; and his sister Phyllis G. Hendon of Placerville, CA; along with several nieces and nephews.  In lieu of flowers, please consider leaving a condolence in the form of a donation to the Rainey Hospice of the Upstate. 

Visit RobinsonFuneralHomes.com or Robinson Funeral Home & Crematory-Downtown, Easley.