Theodore Dwight Bunce , Iv

Theodore Dwight Bunce IV (82) of Durham, NC, passed peacefully on September 9, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his devoted wife, Maria, his sister, Louise, his three children, Leah, Theo, Ethan, and his four grandchildren, Madeline (13), Rachael (11), Caspian (3) and Astrid (1).

Dwight was born in Summit, NJ, to Theodore Dwight III and Phoebe Bunce and spent most of his childhood in Long Beach, California. Dwight had his first taste of international living when he and his mother drove down to Mexico where he completed his junior year. He graduated in 1963 with a B.A. in Political Economy from Williams College, which led to a lifetime of proudly wearing purple. He expanded his international interests by entering one of the first Peace Corps tours in 1963, which led him to teaching English in El Salvador. Upon return, he pursued a PhD in Economics at UNC - Chapel Hill. His subsequent career in international development led him to advising and serving as Chief of Party for USAID funded projects in Nigeria, Egypt, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Pakistan. He was dedicated to fostering economic development of local communities, including building community infrastructure and scaling small businesses.

Above all else, as he would tell you, Dwight loved his family deeply. He adored his wife of 38 years, Maria, and was incredibly proud of his children and grandchildren, whose achievements he regularly (read ad naseum) espoused.

He had valued friends through playing ping pong and visiting car shows. He also enjoyed family genealogy, history, oboe playing, bike riding, sharing dad jokes, and telling really long stories that were mostly interesting and got to the point after circling around 10 times. He was fluent in Spanish and held a black belt in Judo.

Funeral Services will be held 11:00 AM Friday, September 15, 2023 from Hall Wynne Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow in Maplewood Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Friday, September 15, 2023 at Hall Wynne Funeral Service. 

The Bunce family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Online condolences are available at www.hallwynne.com under Obituaries. To provide a condolence, please type in the ‘Share a memory’ section.”