Funeral for former State Rep. Dewayne Bunch to be held Sunday

The funeral of former 82nd State Rep. Dewayne Bunch will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday at Croley Funeral Home in Williamsburg. 

Visitation will precede the funeral, beginning at noon at the funeral home.

Burial will follow at the Croley Addition of Highland Park Cemetery in Williamsburg with military honors conducted by the Kentucky National Guard.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that memorials be made to the Dewayne Bunch Scholarship Fund at Forcht Bank in Corbin or Williamsburg.

Condolences may be made to the family at www.croleyfuneralhome.com

Bunch passed away Wednesday afternoon in Corbin.

Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell said that Bunch passed away about 1:30 p.m. at Oak Tree Hospital, which is affiliated with Baptist Regional Medical Center.

"Dewayne was a quality person. He was a Christian first. He was a family man. He was a soldier and a teacher. He was just a fine guy," Harrell said.

Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. noted that Dewayne Bunch’s passing is a tragedy not only for his family but the entire community.

"Dewayne brought an energetic desire to the office of State Representative to better this region. Our thoughts and prayers will be with his family," White said.

Gov. Steve Beshear issued a statement Wednesday afternoon noting that Bunch will be missed.

"Jane and I were very sorry to hear of the passing of former Representative Dewayne Bunch," Beshear said. "In his time with us in Frankfort, he shared many of our goals for a better Kentucky, especially in improving education.

"He was a dedicated teacher and legislator, and he will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, particularly his wife Regina, who is serving admirably in her husband’s position as state legislator." 

In addition to serving his community as a teacher, and the state as a legislator, Bunch served his country, spending 24 years in the U.S. Army and Kentucky National Guard.

Bunch’s family resigned his position as state representative on Oct. 26. His wife, Regina, was selected as the Republican nominee for the position one week later, a move that was endorsed by local Democratic leaders.

She was the only candidate on the ballot during a Dec. 20, 2011, special election, where she was elected to fill out the remainder of her husband’s term in office.

Regina Bunch filed to run for a full term as 82nd District Representative in January, and was overwhelmingly elected as the Republican nominee during the May Primary election. She is unopposed in the General Election in November.

The House Republican Leadership also issued a statement Wednesday afternoon noting the tragedy of Dewayne Bunch’s passing.

"Dewayne truly represented someone who is committed to serving the public, whether it be as a school teacher, a member of the armed services, his church and his neighbors," the statement read.

"It was that caring commitment and dedication to the people of Whitley County that prompted him to run and win election as State Representative. Our thoughts and prayers are with Regina, her family and all those who knew and loved Dewayne as they deal with his passing.

Dewayne Bunch, who was a teacher at Whitley County High School, has been hospitalized at various facilities ranging from Lexington to Atlanta, Ga. since he was injured while trying to break up a fight between two students about 7:20 a.m. on April 12, 2011.

Bunch and two other teachers were on morning duty monitoring the cafeteria when a fight broke out between two students ages 15 and 16 years of age.

Bunch rushed over to break up the fight and was struck in the head by at least one of the teenagers before falling to the ground and striking his head a second time on the cafeteria floor.

The fact that Bunch survived past the first day was considered nothing short of a miracle. Doctors that day gave his family only a 5 percent chance that he would live.

The two juveniles involved in the fight were charged with assault. Since they are juveniles and juvenile proceedings in Kentucky are closed to the public, it is unknown what the status of their case is.

When asked if the charges against the teenagers would be upgraded to homicide charges because of Bunch’s death, Harrell said that is a decision, which ultimately will be left up to courts.