Florence Elizabeth (Scheels) Hunt, 100, passed away peacefully December 5, 2023. She would have been 101 in January 2024.
Florence was born in a suburb of Schenectady, New York on January 25, 1923 to her loving parents, Matthew Scheels and Catherine (Eno) Scheels. Florence was one of eleven children.
Flo was predeceased by her sisters; Dorothy Scheels, Gladys Wilson, Catherine Grandy, Hazel Brown, and Lillian Thomson. She was predeceased by her
brothers: Matthew, Harold, Raymond and Edward.
Florence was predeceased by her husband, Silven on October 11, 2023. They would have celebrated their 78 th wedding anniversary December 13, 2023. They lovingly raised their five children together in upstate New York. In recent years, they went to live with their daughter, Margie, son, James and their families in North Carolina so they could enjoy a warmer climate.
Their oldest son, William passed away several years ago.
She leaves behind her remaining four children; Dorothy (Arthur) Van Apeldoorn, Margie Hunt, James (Linda) Hunt and Robert Hunt along with many grandchildren including: Dorothy O’Neill, Joseph (Melanie) O’Neill, Danielle Decaprio, Melissa (David) Gabler, James Hunt, Jennifer (Adam) Kipp, Caroline (Stephen) Stay, Summer (Patrick) Reinisch, Sky Hunt, Najaiah Hunt, Nathan Hunt, and Lakiesha Hunt.
There are also several great grandchildren dear to her including: Michael and Victoria Todtschinder, Christian, Aiden and Patrick Reilly, Joseph O’Neill,
Makenna and Karina Dicaprio, Chloe and Leyton Gabler, Leah and Adalyn Kipp, Ashlynn and Hudson Stay, Colton Reinisch and Nash Hunt.
Before going to Florida where she met her husband, Silven, she worked for IGE. After returning to Schenectady as a young bride, she worked in her parent’s grocery store on Helderberg Avenue in Schenectady. She also worked in the office at King Cadillac-Oldsmobile in Schenectady. Florence worked for her sister, Dorothy at her restaurant, The Vendome on State Street in downtown Schenectady as a bookkeeper and cashier.
During the 60’s she and her husband owned and operated Hunt’s Restaurant and Flo and Sil’s Restaurant on upper State Street in Schenectady.
One spring, the couple visited Florence’s brother, Eddy and his wife, Betty and their family in Las Vegas. It was like a small family reunion since their daughter, Dotty and her husband, Art had also gone there to visit friends and they all got together at a local restaurant. Betty remembers taking the couple to many casinos uptown and downtown while they were visiting them and says they always enjoyed the machines for hours each day.
Dotty remembers their mom as an avid shopper who would start shopping in January to put presents away for Christmas and birthdays. There was ALWAYS a pile of presents under the tree. The gifts may not have been expensive, but, they were given with love and no one ever went without.
Being the oldest of the five, the job of gift wrapping the pile of presents always went to Dotty. She laughingly remembers the year her mother handed her a paper bag with something fuzzy in it and told her to wrap it without looking at what was inside. Imagine the “surprise” when Dotty opened the package Christmas morning to find it held her new “fuzzy” slippers, surprise?
Mom was the greatest shopper the world has ever known, there was never a store she didn’t want to visit and bargains were her passion.
Jim remembers their mom as a very loving mother and said they were blessed to have her so long in their lives.
Margie remembers how much she loved hummingbirds, country music and sombrero drinks.
Her granddaughter, Dotty says she would like to tell her grandmother, “You were and always will be my spicy red headed grandmother who went on all my wild adventures with me and you were a huge part of me becoming the woman I am today. You had a zest for life unequaled to any other woman I know”. “You were my “ride or die” for most of my formidable adolescent years”. “Your strength was unequalled, your smile and presence lit up a room. I have no doubt you’re already up there telling Papa off for leaving you last month. I can hear you right now”.
For many years growing up her children remember spending two weeks of every summer vacation visiting their dad’s relatives still living in Arkansas. After their dad was getting older, it became their younger sister, Margie’s legacy to pack her parents and her children into the family vehicle and continue the yearly journey to visit their Arkansas relatives where they were ALWAYS treated with true southern hospitality and lots of love.
We all have our favorite memories of our mom, but, one thing remains the same and that is the love she showed for each and every one of us. MERRY CHRISTMAS MOMMA, we know you will always be with us in our thoughts and love for you and we know you will always be watching over all of us.
Coastal Cremations 6 Jacksonville St., Wilmington NC 28403
910.392.6032
Add Condolence Message