Eldon Wayne Gunter entered his Heavenly home on March 20, 2023, at 82 years old. Wayne was born on May 26, 1940, to Mildred Janet Ferrell and Hershel Lee Gunter in Woodbury, TN. He spent his childhood riding bikes and getting into trouble with his siblings, Eugene and Shirley. Wayne played football, loved singing, and was in the high school band. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Army, both active duty and reserve.
After the Army, Wayne began his career in the ink and printing business, where he stayed for 60 years. He owned and operated Color Tech, a printing company, in Lebanon, TN, where he retired in 2015. Wayne was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, where he enjoyed singing in the adult choir. He was an enthusiastic Christian, sharing his faith in everything he did, especially on mission trips to South Dakota and while greeting at the Walmart door. He was a lifetime member of the Mt. Juliet Masonic Lodge No. 642, a Shriner, and a Gideon. Wayne was well known in Lebanon for being Santa and loved to share his faith with anyone he encountered. Later in life, Wayne found a love for writing and wrote three Christian children’s books. Wayne’s joy for life and love for people was contagious and evident until the end. He loved singing, golfing, traveling, driving, and being with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren (almost as much as he loved to cook banana pudding and beef stew).
Mr. Gunter is survived by his wife of 62 years, Judy Spain Gunter; daughter: Lynell (Ron) O’Reel; grandchildren: Andrew Gunter (Ali) O’Reel and Alexandra Grettalyn O’Reel; great-grandchildren: Zoe Elizabeth O’Reel, Hadlee Jane O’Reel, and Nathaniel Gunter O’Reel; nieces: Kathy (John) Carpenter and Karen (Jerry) Rollins; and many beloved family and friends. He is preceded in death by parents Mildred and Lee Gunter, brother Eugene Gunter and his wife Betty, sister Shirley DeCarlo, niece Stephanie Shimizu, nephew Bobby Lawson, and mother and father-in-law Mae Nell and Cordell Hunter.
Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home, Lebanon, TN, 615.444.9393. The Celebration of Life is 3 p.m. Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Immanuel Baptist Church. Honorary Pallbearers Jim Bell, Greg Bell, Tim Bell, Bob Bull, Charles Word, Glenn Kemp, Bob Halstead, Jerry Rollins, Michael Rollins, Brian Carpenter, Wayne Campbell, and Woody Hunt’s Men’s Sunday School class of Immanuel Baptist Church. Visitation at the church on Saturday is from 1 p.m. until the service at 3 p.m. A private inurnment service will be held on Wayne’s birthday, May 26, 2023. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Gideons and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
