‘Bunny’ Gunn, longtime state delegate, dies at 86

"When the State Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation looks for a friend among the legislators [in the Virginia General Assembly] it looks to 'Bunny' Gunn," said a 1974 newspaper article by The Associated Press.

Charles Wesley Gunn Jr., nicknamed Bunny by his sister when they were children, served in the House of Delegates from 1964 to 1978. He represented the 9th District, including the cities of Lexington, Buena Vista, and Bedford, and the counties of Rockbridge, Bedford and Franklin.

"He was a champion for the mentally ill and other special populations of Virginians," said his daughter, Annhorner Truitt of Richmond.

Mr. Gunn died Jan. 13 surrounded by his family. He was 86. Virginia government buildings flew their state flags at half-staff Tuesday in honor of Mr. Gunn.

Shortly before his death, Mr. Gunn talked to his family about "the urgency of getting ready for people out there who need help," his daughter said.

He was personally very frugal but very generous with others, his daughter said. He was well-known for his cowboy hat and his Ford Bronco -- a veteran of more than 200,000 miles -- parked among the sedans in Capitol Square.

When he left the General Assembly, he was presented with written tributes whose authors included Govs. Mills E. Godwin Jr., Gerald L. Baliles and John N. Dalton, 19 colleagues in the House of Delegates, state senators, and mayors and judges from his district.

Mr. Gunn practiced law in Lexington and was a municipal court judge in 1962 and 1963. He was elected to the House of Delegates in 1963 as a Democrat but later became an independent.

Del. Lacey E. Putney, I-Bedford, met Mr. Gunn while both were studying law at Washington and Lee University. Their adjoining single-member districts were combined into a multimember district after the 1970 census, and they campaigned together in 1971, 1973 and 1975, he said.

"He was a gentleman's gentleman, a statesman if I've ever known one in my life," Putney said. "The mentally ill and the mentally retarded have never had an advocate as passionate and effective as Bunny Gunn. He enjoyed accomplishing what he did for them and did not care who got the credit for it."

In Putney's retirement tribute to Mr. Gunn in 1978, Putney said, "During my 18 years in the General Assembly, no member of either the House or the Senate has served with a degree of dedication, loyalty, honesty and integrity equal to yours."

Mr. Gunn left the assembly to serve as interim clerk of the Rockbridge County Circuit Court. He ran for election to the position but was defeated.

"There was a big void in my political career when Bunny ceased running with me," Putney said. " He was closer to me than any of my four brothers have been."

Mr. Gunn was appointed director of administrative services for the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation in 1979. After retiring from the department, he was a named to the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services Board.

He was a Navy veteran of World War II. Born in Tallahassee, Fla., he worked as a telephone lineman and telephone company manager in Florida before being transferred to Virginia.

Survivors also include a son, Charles W. Gunn III of Hopewell, and a sister, Lois Cotten of Tallahassee, Fla.

A private burial will be followed by a service of thanksgiving at 1 p.m. today, Thursday at Third Presbyterian Church, 600 Forest Ave.