Lewis Dunn was a bear hunter with a heart. The last bear he tracked was an orphaned cub. He didn’t track it to kill, but to feed it.

Dunn’s wife, Tina, said her husband had encountered the cub a couple of weeks before his death and when he saw the cub, it was always alone. “He believed the cub had strayed from its mother and became lost. He had left food for it a couple of times and the day before he died had seen the cub and fed it,” she said.

Lewis Wayne Dunn, 66, died unexpectedly June 18 after suffering a massive heart attack. A Stoney Creek resident, Dunn was a truck driver by trade. Prior to his retirement he had driven a truck for General Shale for about 12 years, however, he had worked for several different companies in the past.

In addition to driving a truck, Dunn was a farmer. He raised cattle and horses, and had a lot of pastureland, on which he raised hay. “He enjoyed being outside, among nature,” said Tina, whose heart was broken as she shared about her husband’s life just days after his death. “It (his death) was fast and happened way too soon,” she shared in a broken voice.

Dunn loved to bear hunt. His favorite hunting grounds were Holston Mountain, Shady Valley, and on his own property. Although he had only killed one bear, Dunn had some stories to tell. “I think the best part of hunting to my husband was the adventure it provided and being with friends who also enjoyed the sport. He loved wildlife, and the last few years he had enjoyed watching it more than shooting it,” Tina said of her husband.

In addition to hunting and spending time with his friends, Dunn enjoyed attending cattle sales and visting stockyards. At home he enjoyed the company of his wife and stepchildren and his dog and cat — Cody and Snowflake.

“He really was a softie. He had a heart of gold,” said Tina. “He was very good to me. My needs always came before his. He was a very kind-hearted person,” Tina shared.

“My husband loved the Lord and he was a Christian. He didn’t go out broadcasting it, but you knew it by the life he lived,” Tina said.

Lewis Wayne Dunn was laid to rest last Thursday in the Pearl Bowers Cemetery. Dunn had grown up in the Lynn Valley community, but had spent most of his adult life on Stoney Creek. Now, it is his final resting place.

He was a man whose deeds in life endeared him to people, and spoke loudly about the kind of person he was. He may have hunted bears, but his hunting skills captured him more friends than bears.