Obituary: Harry R. Kuniansky
Dad had such a distinctive laugh that it could be recognized across a theater.
Dad had such a distinctive laugh that it could be recognized across a theater. Loud, joyful, and full-throated — you knew he was there when you heard that laugh. And he loved jokes, the cornier the better — he was as silly as he was smart. The “Three Stooges” routines always cracked him up, no matter how many times he watched them. Of course, his wife, Marcia, was around for most of those corny jokes — 58 years of ‘em. She rolled her eyes a lot. But they laughed a lot, too — even the past few years when she served as his primary caretaker while he battled kidney disease. She’s been a rock, and he loved her dearly.
And although he went deaf the last few years and couldn’t listen to his beloved classical music (which he played throughout family trips much to the frustration of his kids, Jody and Eric), he still watched every Braves game. He loved the analytics of baseball. For years, his birthday present was an easy choice — we just bought him that year’s “Baseball Encyclopedia,” which he would delightedly pour over.
He got his undergraduate degree from Emory University and his doctorate from Georgia State University and became a professor of economics and finance, most of his career spent in Augusta, Ga. Both of his kids went into the family business so to speak, Jody becoming a teacher and Eric a banker. We also both picked up his love of gardening and neither one of us can walk past a bush without plucking off a brown leaf. A teacher to the end, he will be donating his body to the medical college.
Other than marrying Marcia, his best decision was taking a study break from Georgia State in the mid-1960s with two of his best friends and heading over to Augusta to see what this new golf competition was all about — they asked if he wanted to be on the list to get tickets every year and he said, “Sure, why not?” He loved walking the course but loved even more sitting under a magnolia tree on Hole No. 8 eating an egg salad sandwich in the shade.
He enjoyed spending time with his son-in-law, David, and his daughter-in-law, Erica, his kids and grandkids; many of those moments involved ice cream — butter pecan being a particular favorite. He loved watching Ryan and Sydney in their various Atlanta-area sports games, and he kept tabs on Ethan and Noa even though they were living in New Jersey.
Dad was predeceased by his father, Jake, his mother, Esther, his sisters, Jean, Elaine and Sarah, all so dear to him.
He was a gentle man, a quiet man, a throwback to a different time — he still carried a pocket handkerchief and never turned on a computer. But he was kind and funny and helpful and caring. He was a beloved husband and father. He was loved and will be dearly missed.
Funeral arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999
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