Read “Patten.” Dunn died August 28th, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. Read was born in Oxford, Mississippi, the son of the late Barbara Butts Dunn and Read Patten Dunn Jr. He attended Lycoming College, where he wrestled. He graduated from Lycoming with a degree in economics in 1966. He then went on to complete a master’s degree in economics at Penn State University in 1968. That same year, he met Judith Margaret Zazon (June 24, 1946 – October 19, 2019). They married in 1970 and raised two children in rural Michigan.

Read started his career as an auditor working with Touche Ross & Company in Detroit, Michigan. He then moved on to a role as Vice President of Michigan National Bank in Flint. He played leadership roles at several other banks before founding Franklin Bank in Southfield, Michigan. He served as its CEO and president from 1983 to 1999. In 2007, Read moved to Wasilla, Alaska, where he worked at MatSu Credit Union and volunteered at the local animal shelter. After joining his daughter’s family in Homer, Read became active in the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust and the Kachemak Bay Rotary Club.

Read enjoyed catching snakes, wrestling, ballroom dancing, reading and writing, fishing, and the contrasts among those endeavors. He could talk with equal passion and detail about headlocks, waltzes and small business loans. He was quick to share his own stories and, also, stories about his children and grandchildren. He relished the chance to experience the world with his children and their families, even if it meant putting himself in very uncomfortable and dangerous circumstances. With his wife, friends, children, and grandchildren, Read lived a life full of adventures worthy of being told (and retold).

He is survived by two children, Jane Dunn (Eli Martin) and Robert Dunn (Monica Sanchez); three grandchildren; two brothers, John (Ginny Ann) Dunn and Walter Dunn (Ellen); a sister, Diane Dunn (Bill); and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, the Kachemak Bay Rotary Club, Alaska Mindful Paws (Homer Animal Shelter), or Homer Animal Friends.