Archie Frederick Dunn, 89, of Cedarville, died Friday, December 11, 2009, at War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste Marie.

He was born August 30, 1920, in Pickford to George Custer and Erma (nee Stillwell) Dunn.

Mr. Dunn grew up in Cedarville, graduating from Cedarville High School in 1938. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served as a Sea Bee during World War II in the Pacific Islands.

Before leaving for the Pacific, he met Bernadine Wilson in Cedarville when she began her teaching career there before moving back to Ohio, where she taught foreign languages. Upon his departure from the service, Mr. Dunn traveled to Sylvania, Ohio, to find her, armed only with the knowledge that her mother was a professional seamstress owning a dress shop in Sylvania. He searched the streets of downtown Sylvania until he found Eva Wilson’s dress shop, and their courtship began. They were married August 7, 1948, in Sylvania. They built their first home on Dunn Hill in Cedarville a few hundred yards from his parents’ homestead.

Mr. Dunn built their next home on 4 Mile Block from lumber he logged and cut, often walking through the woods from one side of the 4 Mile Block to the other after work to build it. He later constructed a hand-hewed log home for their retirement years on top of Dunn Hill with a beautiful view of Cedarville Bay.

Mr. Dunn was widely known for his ability to tell eloquent stories, which were true and often humorous.

He had a passion for the outdoors. He was a Boy Scout leader for many years, and taught a lot of young men about camping, fishing, and canoeing. He opened his own business in the early 1950s, Dunn Electric, and took advantage of fishing opportunities while traveling to and from jobs on the Les Cheneaux Islands. Mr. Dunn enjoyed playing numerous pranks on the people who worked on projects with him.

He and and his wife traveled extensively, making many trips to Alaska, some of them with their grandchildren. They enjoyed camping and fishing in Rockport, Texas, for many winters and at Dog Lake in Missanabe, Canada, during summers. His children and grandchildren have many fond memories of camping trips and adventures with the couple.

Mr. Dunn’s hobbies included fishing and berry picking with his wife, hunting, carving ducks, sailboats, and birch bark canoes, for which he was often offered large sums of money. They weren’t for sale, however, and only a select few were rewarded with such a gift.

Mr. Dunn is survived by three sons and their families, Arthur and Sandra Dunn of Juneau, Alaska, Dale and Elizabeth Dunn of Cedarville, and Randolph and Kimberly Dunn of Cedarville; one daughter and her family, Ferne and James Sherlund of Hessel; eight-grandchildren and their families, Lisa and Jim Zyble, Archie Sherlund, Madeline Dunn, Ruben Sherlund, Bradley Sherlund, Dale R. Dunn, Grace Dunn, and Silas Dunn; two great-grandchildren, Jim and Jack Zyble; and one sister, Lydia Rudd, of Cedarville.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Bernadine, in 2006; his parents; a brother, Jerry; five sisters, Elizabeth Farrier, Isabelle Sims, Eunice Lowe, Cora Dunn, and Phyllis Hamel, and a grandson, Archie Dale Dunn.

Visitation is Wednesday, December 16, at 2 p.m. at First Union Church in Cedarville, followed by a memorial at 3 p.m. with the Reverend Jeffrey Meyers officiating. Interment will be at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Great Lakes Wooden Boat Building School in Cedarville or to the Clark Township Ambulance Corps.

Reamer Galer Funeral Home of Pickford assisted the family with arrangements.