Eloise Bernice Hunt (née Hudson) was born to the union of the late Willie Miller Hudson and the late Velva Mae Hudson (née Morton), on 8 March 1939 in Bragg City, Pemiscot County, Missouri. She was baptized at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Wellston, Missouri in 1950. In 1962, she became a member of the Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church. In 1972, Eloise transferred her membership to Rock Hill Presbyterian Church where she served as a Sunday School Teacher, Deacon, Elder, and on several committees and boards.

Eloise attended St. Clement’s Catholic School in St. Louis, DuBois Elementary School in Wellston, Douglass High School in Webster Groves and graduated from Normandy Senior High School in June 1956. She attended Mound City Business College for one year.

On 13 September 1958, Eloise united in marriage with the late John Douglas Hunt, Jr., son of the late John Douglas, Sr., and the late Georgia Anna Hunt (née Littlejohn). To this union, two children were born: Bryan Gerard and Danielle Renee.

Eloise worked for the Treasury Department, Transportation Materiel Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and for the Boeing Airplane Company in Everett, Washington. She was employed by the Defense Mapping Agency and Aerospace Center (DMAAC), retiring on 2 January 1995 with 34 years of service. 

During her federal career and while both her children were attending college, Eloise resumed her undergraduate studies at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, receiving an Associate Degree in Management and Supervisory Development on 15 May 1988. Eloise completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Accounting at Columbia College in St. Louis, Missouri on 21 July 1990. She also pursued studies in horticulture, receiving a Certificate of Specialization in May 1992, and worked in that field after retirement. Eloise had a great love for plants. In retirement, Eloise worked at St. Louis Community College at Meramec for two years and at Kirkwood Public Library for 7 ½ years. 

Eloise served as a volunteer tutor for the Literacy Council of Greater St. Louis for Basic Adult Education and served on the Board of Adjustment for the City of Rock Hill for several years. She was instrumental in the organization of Webster – Rock Hill Ministries in the early 1980s. Eloise served as secretary of the Schall School PTA and as a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts of Schall School. She was a member of the St. Louis Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois, the Jefferson County Genealogical Society, and the Mississippi Genealogical Society.

Eloise was a devoted mother and homemaker for her family and pursued her family’s history and genealogy for over 50 years. She was an avid collector of family photos and documents, enjoyed traveling, the outdoors, cooking, her pets, quilting, knitting, and crocheting. She saw much of the world, visiting Nova Scotia, Alaska, Hawaii, China, Guatemala, Honduras, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Istanbul, Egypt, and most of the United States after retirement. 

Eloise was preceded in death by her parents, Willie Miller Hudson (1962) and Velva Mae Morton Hudson (1974); son Bryan Gerard Hunt (2024); brothers Robert Curtis Hudson (1981), Frederick Henry Hudson (1985), and Virgil Edward Hudson (2018); sisters Opal Gwendolyn Simms (2010), Frencella Kathleen Bonner (2011), and Mabel Louise Blair (2020). 

Early on the morning of Tuesday, 19 May 2026, Eloise departed this life, peacefully at her home in Florissant, Missouri, after a long illness. Eloise leaves a daughter, Danielle R. Hunt; grandson, Noah B. Hunt; daughter-in-law, Christine M. Hunt; nephews Richard (Angela) Hudson, Steven (Martha) McClendon, Anthony (Stephanie) Hunt, and Michael Simms; nieces Denise (Harold) Walker, Sharon McClendon, Paula Brewster, and Jennifer Thompson; sister-in-law, Arletta McClendon; brother-in-law, Charles (Veronica) Simms; many cousins, great nieces, great nephews, friends, and her beloved Dachshund, Ella Louise.

The family wishes to express its sincere appreciation to all who were supportive during this period of bereavement. The family requests contributions be made to Siteman Cancer Center, American Cancer Society, Nine PBS, or College of the Ozarks. 

Visitation will be held Friday June 12, 2026, from 10am – 12pm with a brief Service starting at 11:15am. Visitation and Service will be held at St. Louis Cremation’s Chapel, 2135 Chouteau Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. A Repast Luncheon will follow, at Brentwood Community Center, 2505 S. Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood, MO  63144 until 4pm. Private interment at Oak Grove Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri will occur at a later date