Robert Leroy Hunter was no stranger to caring for others.

Whether it was caring for his family, taking an interest in his hundreds of employees at Hunter Truck, or spearheading initiatives to benefit the community, Hunter took an interest in everyone who crossed his path, and that is how he will be remembered according to family and friends following his death on Jan. 25.

Hunter, 83, was born in Eau Claire and was the son of Homer and Josephine Hunter.

Known by his friends and family as Bob, he and his brother Harry Hunter helped grow Hunter Truck into one of the largest truck dealerships in the United States, after the business was founded by their father in 1938.

Nancy Hunter Mycka, one of Bob’s daughters who was also involved in the family business, said she learned a lot from her father over the years, particularly with how he treated his employees and customers.

“He always had faith in his employees, and he really believed in people,” Nancy Hunter Mycka said. ”The trucking industry is going to have a huge loss with him gone. He mentored so many people, it was like he had 200 sons.”

Bob and his wife Gail Hunter had three children during their 59 year marriage, also including Steve Hunter and Susan Hunter Fleming.

“I think he embodied what is the Western Pennsylvania ethos which is hard work, being humble and letting your actions let do the talking for you,” Steve Hunter said. ”Even though he was the boss, he always knew everyone’s names, saying ‘hi’ and meeting new employees. He was responsible for hundreds of people, helping them support their families.”

Nancy Hunter Mycka said her father was “instrumental” in the trucking industry, and was also a pioneer in some ways as well.

“He started a leasing company outside of Hunter Truck called Idealease,” Nancy Hunter Mycka said. “It has grown to the third-largest truck leasing company in the country. He loved that board and friends he met from there.”

Bob received some of the industry’s highest honors when he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Automotive Association in 2021 and named Dealer of the Year in 2006 by the American Truck Dealers.

“He absolutely loved the business,” Steve Hunter said. “It was his life. The majority of his friends were either customers or suppliers or vendors. People who he came in contact through the business. He was completely committed to Butler and Butler County.”

Steve Hunter said the memories he will cherish the most during his time with Bob were the activities he did with him.

“He was really into snowmobiling,” Steve Hunter said. ”We had a lot of really fun snowmobile trips to Marienville and Bradford. One time, we got to go snowmobiling in Yellowstone. We also went on a fun golf trip to Firestone.”

Going to church was incredibly important to their father, said Nancy Hunter Mycka and Steve Hunter, and his spirituality was a huge part of how he got to be successful.

“We were a family that went to church every Sunday,” Steve Hunter said. “They switched churches a couple times, but growing up that was a very important part of our life.”

Bob attended Mercersburg Academy and Grove City College, and during his time at Grove City, that is when he met his wife, Gail.

“He absolutely loved and adored my mom,” Nancy Hunter Mycka said. ”They were just an incredible couple. She was so supportive of him.”

For Nancy Hunter Mycka, her favorite part of her life that was spent with her father was between 2013 and 2016 when she and Bob spearheaded a Pioneer Proud fundraising campaign at Butler County Community College to help build the college’s Heaton Family Learning Commons.

She and Bob served as cochairmen to the campaign, which aimed to raise $5.5 million in donations for renovations to the library located in the building among other things.

“We actually ended up raising more money needed so they used some of it for the nursing building as well,” Nancy Hunter Mycka said. ”He really loved to give.”

Ruth Purcell, the former executive director of the BC3 Education Foundation, worked closely with Bob and Nancy Hunter Mycka during that time and was very appreciative of their help in raising funds for the campaign.

“The thing about Bob was he was used to more sophisticated fundraising, and he really gave us the direction and mentoring to do that,” Purcell said. “He opened so many doors. He was a major donor. He was so good to work with because he was a person who would say ‘you can do this.’”

Purcell said she got to know Bob personally during the campaign and was impressed with his work ethic when it came to every project he wanted to tackle.

“He wasn’t a touchy-feely guy, but you just knew when you were with Bob that you had his attention and he cared for people,” Purcell said. “He wanted to do the right thing, and that’s why he got involved with BC3. He saw what it could do to the community.”

Nick Neupauer, who served as BC3’s president from 2007 to 2024, said he also got to know Bob and his family from their time with the campaign, and thought highly of his ability to reach out to other members of the community for donations.

“We very much relied on Bob’s introduction to folks that otherwise we did not know,” Neupauer said. ”His endorsement of my leadership, the college’s role in the community and Ruth’s role was critical to our success. Bob was a man of his word.”

Millie Pinkerton, a 40-plus year friend of Bob and Gail’s, said Bob was also heavily involved in the Boy Scouts, which is another testament to his dedication of the community.

“I hope he is remembered as a very kind, gentle and a Butler County person who lived here all his life,” Pinkerton said. ”He always gave back to his community. When you met Bob, you knew you met a really nice man.”