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BROWN’S CROSSROADS COMMUNITY…Mrs. Anita Faye Willis Gunter, a resident of the Brown’s Crossroads Community, near Ozark, died early Tuesday morning, May 26, 2026, at her home. She was 81.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Friday, May 29, 2026, in the Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home Chapel with Chaplain Charles Goldsmith officiating. Burial will follow in the Ewell Cemetery. Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home of Ozark is in charge of arrangements. The family will receive friends from 1:00 until 2:00 P.M. Friday at the funeral home.

Mrs. Gunter, the daughter of the late Jeff Z. Willis and Ethel V. Caraway Willis, was born and raised near Ozark. She first began her schooling at Echo Elementary. She carried the values of her upbringing—kindness, humility, and a deep love for family—throughout her entire life.

After high school, she married her best friend, H.G. Gunter in 1960. From the very beginning, their love was steady and sure. They built a life together that was full of devotion, laughter, and quiet moments that meant everything. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, and she loved him with her whole heart. Their marriage, which lasted nearly sixty years, was a true example of commitment and partnership. He preceded her in death, but their bond remained unbroken.

Over the years, Mrs. Gunter worked at Rose’s in Ozark and later helped run a secondhand retail store alongside her husband for a decade. She took pride in her work, but even more so in the people she met and the relationships she formed along the way.

She had a gift for finding joy in the simple things. She loved decorating, shopping, visiting with family and friends, reading, and keeping up with her bookwork. She had a thoughtful and generous spirit, always considering the needs of others before her own. Even when life brought challenges, she faced them with grace and a quiet strength that inspired those around her.

Mrs. Gunter will be remembered as a down‑to‑earth, kindhearted woman who made people feel welcome and cared for. Her love for her family and friends was one of her greatest qualities, and she showed it in countless small but meaningful ways.

In addition to her parents and her beloved husband, she was preceded in death by four brothers: Jerome Willis, Sam Willis, Bud Willis, and Lomax Willis. She now joins them in peaceful rest.

Surviving relatives include her son, Gregory Guice Gunter, Brown’s Crossroads Community; nieces, nephews, and cousins.

 

You may sign a guest register at www.fuquabankston.com