Wilma Jean Bunker

Wilma Jean Bunker passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 16. She was one day shy of being 94 years old. She was the loving wife of Merle Bunker, to whom she was married for sixty years prior to his death in 1985. She is survived by her two sons Bruce and Paul Bunker.

Wilma was born to Ralph and Zella Horine in 1924 on a farm near Union City Indiana. She had a blissful childhood spent with her six brothers and sisters. After getting married, she moved with her husband Merle to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he worked as a nuclear physicist. Wilma and the family truly enjoyed Merle’s sabbatical year from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1964, during which time they lived in Denmark and toured much of Europe. On returning to Los Alamos, she put her Masters Degree in English to work as a technical editor of scientific papers and government documents.

After she and Merle retired, they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to be close to their  son Bruce. Upon Merle’s death, Wilma wanted to return to her roots in Indiana and Ohio and moved into the Otterbein Retirement Community in St. Mary’s Ohio, where she resided until her passing.

Apart from her family, Wilma had wide-ranging interests, including writing, gardening, entertaining, architecture, outdoor activities, travel, and reading mystery novels. She led a full life, and will be dearly missed.