June 19, 1974 – July 6, 2022
Kelly Joseph Hunter, 48, passed away Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 11 years, Jennifer Doyle Hunter; daughter Emily Hunter; mother Connie Crim (Bob); brother Jason Hunter (Jennifer); mother-in-law Cindy Doyle; uncle Bob Castor; aunt Sandy Nichols; uncles, Kevin Hunter (Donna) and Glen Hunter (Teresia); sister-in-law Amy Etchberger (Kevin); nieces, Ashlea Hunter (Sarah) and Reese Etchberger; nephews, Bryson Hunter and RJ Etchberger, and countless dear family and friends. Kelly was preceded in death by his father, Gary Hunter, uncle Ted Nichols, aunt Shirley Castor, and aunt Denise Zubeck.
Kelly was born June 19, 1974, in Hutchinson, Kansas. He later moved to Leander, Texas where he grew up and graduated from Leander High School in 1992. Kelly received his BBA in accounting from Texas State University-San Marcos and moved to Houston. He joined the Audit & Attest Services department of Fitts Roberts and Kolkhorst in 1999 and was elected shareholder in February 2007. In 2021, Kelly became Managing Shareholder of the firm and has been in the practice of public accounting for over 23 years.
Kelly was also a member of the Board of Directors of the TXCPA and served as the chair of the CPE Advisory Board and was also a member of the Board of Directors of TXCPA Houston where he served as President. Kelly was also a former member of the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC). Kelly was former member of the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC). Prior to his service on ARSC, Kelly was a member of the AICPA’s PCPS Technical Issues Committee (TIC) from 2010 – 2013 and a member of the AICPA’s Technical Standards Subcommittee (TNS) from 2010 – 2013. He also served as the designated partner for the firm’s membership in the AICPA Governmental Audit Quality Center (GAQC).
Kelly also served as the chair for the Board of Stewards at his home church, Friendswood United Methodist Church.
In an online dating success story, he met the love of his life, Jennifer. From the moment they met, he cherished her every day. On May 21, 2011, Kelly and Jennifer were married. A year later, they moved to Pearland to start their life together.
Kelly was a loving and devoted husband, father, son, uncle, and friend who had an infectious laugh. He cherished his wife; they truly were soulmates. They enjoyed traveling, relaxing on the couch, sitting out back, and enjoying the morning and evenings together. Kelly loved being a dad and enjoyed numerous family bike rides, playing board and card games, swimming in the pool, and watching his daughter ride horses. He loved to cook and grill for his family, and friends and have people over. Kelly never met a stranger. His personality would light up the room and his wittiness was like no other. Kelly was generous, kind, and willing to help at any time or place. He could find a connection with anyone and enjoyed great friendships throughout his life with people of all ages. He was an avid Astros fan and never missed a game. Kelly will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, July 15, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. at Friendswood United Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood, Texas 77546 with Rev. Jim Bass officiating.
In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a memorial on behalf of the Emily Hunter Educational Fund via Zelle at Bank of America to 832.465.0317.
Condolences may be sent to the Hunter family in care of Jeter Memorial Funeral Home at www.jeterfuneralhome.com.
One way you can continue to honor and remember Kelly is to focus on “the Joy of God..” Here are some bible verses Kelly recently highlighted about joy:
“We are confronted daily with the challenges of the world that cause us to be distracted, with a negative impact on our lives. I have been reminded (by God) several times recently—even on a marquee sign– that what we really need to focus on is “the Joy of God”. Here are some references that He led me to:
Nehemiah 8:9-12 “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Romans: 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
John 15:11-13 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Psalms 51:10-12 “Create in me a pure heart, o God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
I loved some reflections from author, Jim Davis (“Focus on God”) about “the Joy of God”:
“God is a joyful God and wishes to share his joy with us. God is the source of real joy, just as he is the source of love, of truth, of mercy, etc….God says to forget the past, enter into my joy and you will find and discover my strength to bear your burdens and your scars…. It is entering into the joy of God that gives us the strength to persevere in the midst of difficulties. Joy is not an option. It is an essential, if we are to succeed in the work of God. There is no joy like knowing and serving God. Remember God is the source of real joy and strength.”
To me, the message is clear….no matter the challenges we face or the mission set before us, we must embrace JOY…to equip and empower us as His disciples. I love the words mentioned above, and it is so very true, “Joy is not an option. It is an essential, if we are to succeed in the work of God.” So, let’s be joyful in our thoughts, words, and actions as we boldly witness our faith and demonstrate our commitment to accomplishing God’s work through our faith family–Friendswood United Methodist Church.
– Kelly Hunter
15 thoughts on “Kelly Joseph Hunter”
My family and I are deeply saddened by the loss. The words above are beautiful. Thank you. God give us all strength.
Kelly always had a smile on his face. He brought Joy to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. He will be greatly missed. My prayers to you and Emily during this time. May our Lord Jesus Christ cover you in his peace and love.
Kelly was pure energy and humor when I knew him in the Leander High School Band! Many condolences prayers for peace for his family during this loss.
Travis Barney
My Team and I are deeply saddened by Kelly's passing. We were in the midst of getting set up for our next auditing adventure – He loved what he did and he was the Best auditor I've ever known. Always ready for the task, bringing Joy and light into any room he stepped in. His words have been, and will always be, an encouragement in my life and He will truly, truly be missed. God Bless and keep your Beautiful Family – Shelia Jones and Industrial Info Resources, Inc.
I have known Jennifer since high school and I have never seen her happier than after she met Kelly. I am lifting this sweet family up in my daily prayers for comfort and peace. God bless you all.
Please know how very much we liked and admired Kelly and also how much we are praying for your comfort, peace and yes – restored JOY during this time! Thank you so much for sharing these precious thoughts from our friend. God bless you all!
I didn't know Kelly for very long but had the pleasure of working with him regularly. Reading about his personal life just shows what a wonderful person he was and that he'll be greatly missed. My deepest condolences for his friends and family.
I am so terribly sorry Kelly is not with us anymore. He truly was a joyful person. My condolences to his wife, chick seen and family.
We are so sorry for the loss of Mr Kelly.
Jennifer and Emily, you are in our thoughts and prayers. May the Lord give you strength. We send our most sincere condolences.
The Verastegui Family
I had the pleasure working with Kelly for just over nine years. He was always so joyful and could bring humor to any situation. He will be deeply missed by all. My deepest condolences to his wife and daughter – you both were so important to him and he would light up while talking about you.
Kelly was a friendly loving and happy person. He always had a smile on his face and loved Jennifer and Emily deeply. I’m sorry Jennifer and Emily about the loss. My prayers go out to both of you and Kelly’s family for strength during this difficult time.
I am so sorry for this unimaginable loss. His words about Joy really touched me. I will always remember being in band with him and what a nice person he was to all.
Kelly was a little bit of a hero to me. He could play oboe better than me and he had the BEST sense of humor. When you were with Kelly, you were laughing. No doubt. Some of my favorite memories are driving around in his mom's maroon car, a Chrysler of some sort?, aimlessly, on weekends, content to just drive and talk.
Double reeds for life!
From the moment we met Kelly at the family reunion, I knew he was a perfect fit. His love for Jennifer was unconditional . He was always there for all of us whenever we needed. He turned frowns upside down with his jokes! He will forever be missed. As everyone close to them have the same thoughts in mind, we will keep his spirit alive, especially for Emily.
Jen, we are there for you! We love you! You need me to take off and run and I will be there. Your the big sister I always wanted. I settled for cousin, but our lives have always been intertwined closer than just that. Kelly was a breath of fresh air and I know we will always keep his memory in our prayers and his presence will be in our celebrations.
God Bless You & Emily,
Jill, Carlos, & The Broussard family from Louisiana
Kelly was a childhood (teen) friend who I have always kept in my heart and mind. He was like a little brother to me in those years. To say I enjoyed his humor and wit is an understatement. The memories I have of moments of uncontrolled laughter with him I will always cherish. We would sit and talk and just laugh and laugh until my stomach hurt from it. I am so grateful to have known him for that moment of time, a time in my life where the value of that laughter was immeasurable.
I have such wonderful memories of him. I remember seeing him as a child using his grandmother's tabulating machine in her basement. I loved that he would set up a whole desk work area and just "be" an accountant. The fact that he grew up to actually be such a successful account is not a surprise to me and just made sense.
I appreciated the musician he was at that time too. I remember watching him at the football games in the marching band (and talking about the band drama behind the scenes), and at times driving him to piano practice after I got my license. My first opera to attend was a dress rehearsal he was in the orchestra for where he played oboe, Turandot. It really opened up that world for me of enjoying the performing arts, and when I hear the music from that opera I always think of him and when I was sitting there with his proud mother as he played. I will now cherish those memories when they surface even more dearly.
My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family.