Meredith Barrain Bunton more affectionately known as Marco was born on September 30, 1943, in Dallas Texas to Juanita Geary and Paul Hall.
Marco grew up in a small farm town in Hutchins, Texas with his family. He and his brother Michael were raised in a Methodist church. Every Sunday the two of them would get up and sing the same song in front of the entire congregation. In The Garden (He walks with me and He talks with me).
Marco came from humble beginnings and was always taught great work ethics even at a very young age.
In 1960 Marco moved to Los Angeles with his bride married to Sally with whom they were blessed to have two daughters, Kiana and Rako.
Marco earned his barbers and beauticians license because ‘he wanted to do hair’ to get somewhere and he did! Most people don’t know this about Meredith, but his secrets are out now! Marco’s clientele was from Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Bobby Blue Bland, Johnny Guitar Watson, and Betty Wright to name a few, and many more.
Later in Marco’s life after retiring from Lockheed Aircraft, Marco decided to move to a mutual friends home town where her father lived. He fell in love with Centralia, IL., where he brought plenty of smiles, jokes, laughter, and new hairstyles to our town. Everyone thought Sammy Davis Jr. had come to town. Marco became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Later-Day Saints, where he was embraced as Brother Bunton and became a faithful greeter.
Marco demanded to remain living in his Centralia until he took his last breath on the morning of February 6, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Juanita Bunton, and Paul Hall and his beautiful granddaughter Khalilah Muhammad. Marco is survived by his two daughters Kiana and Rako, one brother Michael Bunton, and grandchildren Zaai, Ishmael, Nadia, Kye, Nekko, Kelsee, Camry, and Cameron, 6 great-grandchildren, his special adopted California family Charlotte, Bryan, Ea and their children, and a host of family and friends.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 11:00 am at the Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home. The service will be recorded and put on the funeral home website for friends and family that may not be able to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the family and will be accepted at the Sutherland-Garnier Funeral Home at 235 North Sycamore Street in Centralia, Illinois 62801 (618) 532-3523, which is honored to be of service to the Bunton family. Online condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.sutherlandfuneralhome.com or the Funeral Home’s Facebook page.
