W. H. Eubanks, Jr., 89, son of the late Dr. & Mrs. William Hunter Eubanks, Sr., was born December 13, 1921 in Columbus, MS and ended this lifes journey after a long, courageous battle with Parkinsons disease on October 22, 2011 in Tampa , FL. The family will receive friends at 3 :00 PM on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at Gunter and Peel Funeral Home. Graveside service will follow at 4:00 PM in Friendship Cemetery with Rev. Jerry Horton officiating. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and devoted wife, Juanita Patrick, to whom he was married 67 years; sons William Hunter Eubanks III, MD (Becky) of Tampa, FL; and Kenneth Brian Eubanks of Dade City, FL; and daughter Dianne Eubanks Hyland (Chris) of Chicago; two grandchildren; Amanda Eubanks Sefcik (Bryan) of Gainesville, FL and Barrett Hunter Eubanks, MD of New Orleans. He is also survived by two nieces, Sandra Clayton Schweizer (Louis) of New Orleans, and Andrea Harmond of Columbus. He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Martha Eubanks Clayton (Chick) and Pauline Eubanks Harmond (Bob); niece Paula Harmond Hunt (Ralph) all of Columbus, and nephew Jerry Clayton of Washington D.C. He grew up in Columbus, graduated from Stephen D. Lee High School and enrolled at Mississippi State University. After a year his education was interrupted by World War II. He was assigned to the 1567th Engineering Depot Company and shipped out to Liege, Belgium for active duty. The unit was in charge of setting up a supply depot for the Eastern war and the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he returned to MSU where he completed his BS and MS degrees. He then joined the Engineering Graphics Department, and was later promoted to Professor and Head of the Department where he remained for forty-six years. While continuing to live in Columbus, he sang in the choir at First United Methodist Church, helped organize the very popular Columbus Little Theatre, starred in several plays and perfected his story and joke telling skills and magic tricks. After moving to Starkville, his favorite pastime after work was riding his tractor and tending to his country home with cows, horses, and a garden just outside town. Here he enjoyed some of the best years of his life. He and Juanita also enjoyed spending their vacations remodeling and updating their spot in the sun in Gulf Shores, Alabama. He was also active in numerous civic activities which included President of the Starkville Rotary Club, Chairman of the Oktibbeha County Hospital Board of Directors, and Assistant Troop Master of Boy Scout Troop 45. In 1996 Hunter and Juanita retired to Tampa, Florida to be near family. They have resided for the past 15 years at University Village.
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