John Bruce “Hungry” Dolney was born on July 19, 1955 in Salmon, Idaho. He was born into a mining family, which eventually settled in Ely, NV. He graduated from White Pine High School in Ely in 1973. He became a certified welder through the Utah Technical College in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1980. He went on to have a long career in mining in both Ely and Elko, NV. He retired in 2019 and moved to Arizona to live with his youngest daughter in 2020. After a lengthy illness, he passed away in the comfort of home in Gilbert, AZ on August 1, 2021 at the age of 66.
Hungry was known for his dry sense of humor and knack for telling a good story. Playing darts and increasing his throwing skills was a favorite hobby. He was also an avid reader who loved history and traveling to historic sites. He especially enjoyed watching Westerns and learning anything to do with the Old West. He had a great love for hunting and being in the mountains. It was during a hunting trip with his uncles when he was thirteen that he obtained the nickname “Hungry.” After a long day of hunting, he came back to camp with a voracious appetite, causing his uncles to call him “Hungry Jack,” and the nickname forever stuck.
One of his sons-in-law, Tyler Gunter, described him by saying, “as tough as he was on the outside, he was a very tender caring man on the inside.” He loved being with family, both immediate and extended. Many of the stories he told involved his family and growing up in Ely, as well as stories of his daughters growing up. In the last year of his life, he was blessed with spending more time with his grandchildren, something that brought him a lot of happiness.
He is survived by his daughters Lacey Dolney Bundy (Garrett), Candice Stone (Shalum), Tamra Gunter (Tyler), grandchildren Jared Stone, Evan Stone, Trestan Gunter, Taylor Gunter, and Taeva Gunter, sister Tamra Sanford, step-father Jerry Perkins, niece Rachelle Kinsey, nephews Larry Lawrence (Sarah), Boone Lawrence, Shawn Lawrence (Jessica), and Zach Sanford (Kelsie), as well as numerous great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother Betty Goff Perkins, father John E. Dolney, and brother-in-law David Sanford.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021 in Elko, NV. The service will be held at the Burns Funeral Home at 10 am, directly followed by a reception at the Elko Peace Park. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.
