Animal lover, baseball enthusiast, “momma’s boy” and outdoorsman are only a few of the various expressions used to describe Hunter Alexander Lutto by his friends and family.
While Hunter Lutto’s closest relations all described him as a selfless and loving individual, he influenced each of them in a unique way.
Born in Richmond, Va., in 1996, Hunter Lutto had a special relationship with his mother since the day he was born.
“He was an adoring son. We were super close — he was definitely a momma’s boy,” said Karen Lutto Nischalke, Hunter Lutto’s mother. “He was everything a mother would want. From when he was little he and I were very close.”
Nischalke said Hunter maintained a close relationship with her in college, often calling her four times per week, but soon also developed close relationships with new friends in College Station.
“He loved it — it was his choice of schools,” Karen Nischalke said. “He didn’t even come home for the summer, he stayed up there. He came home on weekends every now and then, but he was very passionate about the school.”
Chloe Beck, wildlife and fisheries sciences sophomore, met Hunter Lutto at middle school at Boerne, Texas, where they became good friends. Beck said Hunter Lutto was always the funny guy who had a knack for making people smile.
“He was always incredibly happy and just a joyful person,” Beck said. “Nobody ever had a negative thing to say about him, he was just always the life of the party — any room he stepped in he could light it up.”
Beck said College Station is not the same without Hunter Lutto.
“I just know that he was loved by crazy amounts of people, and we miss him and we love him and just really, really miss him here,” Beck said. “He touched a lot of people in College Station in the short time he was here.”
Lex Lutto, Hunter Lutto’s father, said while Hunter was a quick and witty jokester, he was also a compassionate person who always put others before himself. He said Hunter Lutto helped his mother with the dog rescue organization she participated in and was active in mission work with Cibolo Creek Community Church in Fair Oaks Ranch.
“He went on a couple [mission trips] where they built houses for less fortunate people, and he actually volunteered some of his time to help kids that were less fortunate,” Lex Lutto said. “We did some food bank stuff and things like that, we had gone down to the food bank on Christmas.”
Lex Lutto said while he has “a billion” favorite memories with Hunter Lutto, one that sticks out is when he took Hunter Lutto turkey hunting when he was 8 years old.
“I called a turkey in for him and he was sitting on my lap,” Lex Lutto said. “I got so excited I wouldn’t let him shoot because I was breathing too heavy and the gun was moving up and down so much he couldn’t shoot, and then the next day I called in another bird and he got that bird.”
Ashley Lutto, Hunter’s older sister, said Hunter Lutto impacted her life with his selflessness.
“Hunter was always caring for others before himself and to this day that’s exactly what happened,” Ashley Lutto said. “He would put others before himself and that’s had the biggest impact on my life … He was always looking out for everyone else before he was worried about himself.”
Ashley Lutto is coordinating a memorial fund in Hunter Lutto’s name. The donations will go toward a scholarship, Cibolo Creek Community Church and a non-profit organization involved in youth mental health awareness. Ashley Lutto said $12,000 has been raised so far, 50 percent of which will go toward the scholarship. Ashley Lutto said she hopes to set up an endowment as well.
Anyone interested in donating to the fund can contact any Wells Fargo branch and ask for the Hunter Lutto Memorial Fund, or directly donate to the Hunter Lutto Memorial Fund GoFundMe.