She was 90.
A Manchester resident who lived for 50 years in Williamstown and part-time in Delray Beach, Fla., Hunter was married to the late James "Bing" Hunter of Hunter Machine Co., a prominent manufacturer in North Adams for 57 years who died in 2000.
The couple were known for their generous donations over the years to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacob's Pillow, public television, the town of Williamstown, the Congregational Church and Williams- town Theatre Festival, among others.
A $1 million donation in 1999 helped establish the black box theater at MoCA, which was named the Hunter Center for the Performing Arts.
North Adams Mayor John Barrett III said he caddied for Hunter on the golf course in his youth. Later, he turned to her when MoCA was becoming a reality.
"What I always admired about her was that she treated everyone the same, whether it was a caddy or the president of a bank," he said. "She and her husband were very giving people, very helpful in starting MASS MoCA. They went above and beyond the call."
Daughter Susan Hunter said their benevolence stemmed from the belief that those who have been given much should give much
"What my parents did, they did out of an absolute passion for the organizations they supported," she said Thursday. "They deeply, deeply believed that if you had benefits that others didn't, you should share them, and for the benefit of the entire community, not any select group."
Hunter's father, William Mennen, founded the Mennen Co., a deodorant and toiletries company famous for the "By Mennen" slogan. The company was sold to Colgate-Palmolive in 1992 for $670 million in stock and cash.
Hunter was deeply involved with WTF and its board. Matt Harris, president of the board of trustees, said he sat with Hunter over the summer at the season opening dinner.
"She was an incredibly strong, thoughtful woman," he said. "A great listener. She had leadership qualities and a generosity that was unmatched."
Irwin Shainman, a retired Williams professor of music and the former president of the WTF board, said Hunter was a "charming and bright" individual who never expected entitlement after giving money.
"She was not the kind of person who gave money and then told you how to run your organization," he said.
She was an avid traveler, going to places like China, Russia, South Africa and Antarctica. She was also a skier, golfer, bridge player and reader and had a pilot's license.
"She had a great love of life," Susan Hunter said. "She loved to keep learning, keep experimenting and exploring."
Shainman traveled with Hunter and a group of students to Eastern Europe three years ago and said that even at 87, she didn't miss a step.
"She did everything, climbed mountains, shopped, had fun. She did it all."
Hunter also supported the Bennington Museum, the New England Tropical Conservatory, Bennington College and a number of schools in the Manchester area. She gave to the Emma Willard School, a girls school in Troy, N.Y., which she attended, and the Vermont Symphony as well.
She leaves her four children, Susan Hunter of Dedham, Mass., Elizabeth Solomon of Park City, Utah, James Hunter of Williamstown, and Bonnie Trotta of Mount Kisco, N.Y. She also leaves 11 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and her brother, William G. Mennen, of Carmel, Calif.
John D. Waller of the Bennington Banner contributed to this report.
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