Obituary of Peter Alden Bunker

Peter Alden Bunker, (Also known as, Henry Alden Bunker III) longtime resident of Falls Church City, departed this world on January 30, 2014, at age 76. Born in Queens, NY on May 3, 1936, he attended North Country School and Camp Tree Tops in Lake Placid, NY, where he acquired a taste for Natural Maple Syrup, horseback riding and acting, as well as an excellent education. After graduating from Stockbridge School in Interlaken, Massachusetts, and winning the 1954 Massachusetts Science Talent Search, he went on to attend Harvard University; however, his studies were interrupted when he and his roommates accidentally blew out the dorm wall while formulating rocket fuel for a competition with students from Yale. Subsequently, Peter received his B.A. from the University of Rochester, NY and his M.S. in Physics from the University of Connecticut. Peter’s eclectic nature led him to be a “Renaissance Man” of sorts, with of variety of interests and a career that reflected them. He was a camp counselor at Tree Tops; a certified farrier, a high school Science teacher at Good Hope School in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I; a Physics instructor in the Virginia Community College System; an engineer scientist at both Ni-Tec, Inc. in Niles, Illinois, and Tracor Applied Sciences in Rockville, MD (now BAE), and an entrepreneur and the owner of Kinetic Arts, a company that made table top mobiles that were sold nationwide. Aside from being an avid reader, he enjoyed horseback riding, woodworking, photography and singing. He was very fond of classical and choral music and sang in the choir at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia and more recently at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, where he was a member. He was also a lifetime member of the IEEE. Peter is survived by his wife of 36 years, Michelina Bonanno, and his daughter Angela Bunker, both of Falls Church City, VA; daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and James Quinn of Arlington, VA; his most wonderful granddaughter, Natalie Bunker Graham of Falls Church City, VA; son and daughter-in-law, Christopher Alden and Allison Hilberg Bunker of San Francisco, CA; daughter, Rachel B. Slocum of Minneapolis, MN; three sisters, Katherine Solomon of Haskell, NJ; Jennifer B. Young of Claremont, CA; Cynthia Thielker of Oxford, UK, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m., February 7, 2014 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in Peter’s name to: Lift Me Up!, P.O. Box 104, Great Falls, Virginia, 22066, or to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2609 North Glebe Road, Arlington, Virginia, 22207.