For more area obituaries, please visit Schwab Mortuary.

For more resources including headstones, please visit the Star Valley Historical Society.

Mark Eddins

Mark Powell Eddins, 68, passed away on October 13, 2025, in Afton, Wyoming. Mark was born July 3, 1957, in Abilene, Texas, to Boyd and Jane Eddins, and was their oldest son. He spent most of his growing up years living in Smoot, Wyoming. He attended Star Valley High School and graduated with the class of 1975.

Mark had many jobs but primarily worked in the oil and gas industry. He worked for Williams Pipeline, and during his tenure with that company, lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Kansas City, Kansas; Opal, Wyoming; and Maturin, Venezuela. While he lived in Kansas City, Mark completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management at Rockhurst University. He has also lived and worked in Pinedale, Wyoming, and Stanley, North Dakota. In recent years Mark returned to Afton, where he operated his own property management business.

Mark was an avid skier and loved the outdoors and enjoying the beauty of nature. He was happiest when he was bucking the powder of a mountain or kayaking a river. Mark was a motorcycle enthusiast and was always looking for a good ride. He would often retreat to the quiet of his fossil camp near Kemmerer, Wyoming. He enjoyed a good golf game and the view from Star Valley Ranch Golf Course.

Mark is survived by his father, Boyd Eddins; his siblings, Becky Eddins Woodcox, John Eddins, and Jim Eddins; five nephews and one niece. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jane Eddins, and his grandparents, LaVell and Kathryn Eddins, and Marion and Mildred Powell.

A celebration of life for Mark will be planned at a time yet to be determined. Mark’s family is grateful for the many expressions of kindness and sympathy that have been extended following Mark’s death and are comforted to know that Mark has entered a new life in a place of peace and rest.

Kent Hunsaker

Kent F. Hunsaker, son of Wilford Leron and Isabell Findlay Hunsaker, passed away in Logan, Utah on October 16, 2025, of natural causes at the age of 89. He was born in Smoot, Wyoming on April 15, 1936, and over the years spent much of his life living on Cottonwood Lane in Smoot. As the oldest of seven children, Kent grew up helping on their family dairy farm milking cows, hauling hay, and picking rocks off the land. For many years, he milked their cows by hand, as well as for several nearby families to help with the family finances. When he was in high school, he hauled milk for many farmers in the Valley and was known and revered by many as a hard worker who never complained. He graduated from Star Valley High School in 1954.

During his senior year, Kent played in a church basketball championship game on the Smoot Ward basketball team in Montpelier. After winning that game, he went to a local church dance where he met Elaine Casperson, who was from Montpelier. They dated and were married March 19, 1955, and were later sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on August 24 th , 1955.

After high school, Kent played football at Snow College for one year during which time their daughter Eileen was born in 1956. Kent and Elaine lived in Brigham City for about 15 years where he worked at Thiokol and Hill Air Force Base and their children Michelle and Stephen were born. Later, they moved back to Smoot, and their son Joseph joined their family. Kent worked on the Union Pacific Railroad for almost 30 years, where he excelled in operating many different pieces of heavy machinery; he was admired and respected among those he worked with and was given the honorary nickname of “Gramps.”

For years, Kent and Elaine ran a bait business and Kent loved picking worms. He also loved seeing the reaction of anyone who had never picked worms when he would dump solution on the grass and worms would start wiggling up out of the ground. He had the best laugh and loved a good joke. He loved to tease others, especially his children and grandchildren, and made-up silly nicknames for many of his grandchildren which became special to them over the years. Kent also became an expert at pushing Elaine’s buttons – teasing her every chance he got. Whenever they would get a big snowstorm and the snow was deep, he would tease her about how short she was and tell her, “Don’t you go out there or I won’t be able to find you. The snow will be over your head.” If you ever drove past Kent and Elaine’s house at Christmas time, you would know what he thought about her Christmas lights: “Bah Humbug.”

Kent loved his grandchildren and spending time with them. He loved watching and supporting his grandchildren in their sports and other activities. Before one of his grandson’s basketball games, he slipped on the ice in the parking lot and split his head open but refused to go to the urgent care because he didn’t want to miss the game. So, the team’s athletic trainer patched him up and he watched the rest of the game with dried blood all over his face. He later needed 13 stitches. He also loved to watch any Star Valley High School sport. Many times, he would head into Afton by himself to watch the Braves play even when none of his grandkids were playing. He also loved the Utah Jazz and the only thing he loved more than the Jazz winning was the Lakers losing.

Kent was very proud that he was from Star Valley, and especially of living in Smoot. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, until recently, was attending the same ward he was born into over 89 years ago. Kent loved to fish, hunt, and go camping and haul wood up at South End. He also loved a good round of golf.

Kent was a man of integrity; he did what he said he would do. He was friendly and non- judgmental. His children and grandchildren knew that a trip to town would always take twice as long as it should because Kent would talk to everyone – the cashier at the grocery store, the attendant at the hardware store, even the nurses and staff at his doctor’s appointments. In his later years, when family would come visit him, they would be sure to hear the words, “I love you” before they left.

Kent is survived by his wife, Elaine, his children Eileen (Alan), Michelle, and Stephen (Michelle), his grandchildren Ryan (Faylene), Tyson (Hayley), Brandon (Katie), Shawn (Amber), Shalynn, Toran, Coriann, Lee (Amy), Teri (Beau), Riley (Ben), Kasey (Sarina), Katelyn (Neal), Stephen (Brooke), Chelsea (Emilio), Kaylee (Caleb), TJ, McKenzie (Alex), Lindsay, Joshua, Joseph, Annalise, Elisabeth, and Austin, Tanner, Greyson, and Tennyson (children of his late son Joseph Hunsaker and Tina Hunsaker), and 50 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Ronna Kingston, and his brothers Robert Hunsaker, Spencer Hunsaker, Kirk Hunsaker, and Mike Hunsaker.

Kent was preceded in death by his parents Leron and Isabell Hunsaker, his brother Lloyd Hunsaker, and his son Joseph Kent Hunsaker.

Funeral Services will be held October 24, 2025, at noon at the Smoot Ward building, 3166 State Hwy 241, Afton, Wyoming. A viewing will be held that morning from 10–11:30 a.m.