H. Minges Gunter Sr.

Gunter H. Minges, age 75, died at the Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale, FL, following a brief illness.

A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 PM on Saturday, June 17th, 2017, at Covert Funeral Home, 7199 S. Main St., Ovid, followed by a reception at VFW Post 6200 in Ovid. Kindly consider a donation in Gunter❜s memory to the American Leukemia Foundation, PO Box 2270, Roswell, GA 30077 or to Good Shepherd Hospice, 105 Arneson Ave, Auburndale, FL 33823.

Gunter was born on July 18, 1941 in Sulzbach Rosen, Bavaria, Germany, a son of Jorge and Margarita (Kretz) Minges. He came to the United States in 1956, via General Longfit, a troop transport. During the crossing, Gunter worked in the dining room bussing tables for $10 a day. On the carrier, he had his first taste of Coca Cola which was machine dispensed in paper cups for $0.05. Since he knew little English, he looked up 100 words every night in the dictionary to learn their pronunciation and meaning. Because of his near perfect English, many people did not know that he came from Germany. Gunter retired from Willard Psychiatric Center in 1995, where he was Supervisor of the Grounds Department. He and Peggy have wintered in Haines City, Florida since their retirement, and he had been a member of the Romulus Historical Society. Gunter was a beloved son, father, poppy, brother, friend, companion and loyal Patriots fan.

He is survived by his companion of 36 years, Margaret ‶Peg″ Ellsworth; his children, Gunter (Linda) Minges of Willard, Kurt Minges of Ovid, Heidi (Scott) Shaulis of Ovid, and Erich (Ami) Minges of Romulus. 16 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren; his siblings, Margarita (Raymond) Chandler of Ashburnham, MA, Laszlo (Sande) Meszaros of Romulus, and Violet (Calvin) Lawrence of Westborough, MA; Peggy❜s children, Kathleen (Todd) Webber of Baldwinsville, and Donald (Kristin) Ellsworth of Ovid. Gunter was preceded in death by his parents and his stepfather, Dr. Laszlo Meszaros.