Former legislator George Bunting dies

Former legislator and Rehoboth Beach businessman George Bunting, a mainstay in the Cape Region where he was a businessman and public servant, has died.

It might be a toss-up whether Bunting was best known for his 28 years of public service or as owner of the State Farm office on Route 1 near the outlets, but without a doubt, he made his mark on the community that he loved.

Bunting, a Democrat, won his first foray into politics in 1983, when he beat his opponent by 50 votes to become Rehoboth’s representative in the state legislature. He served as representative for 12 years before winning a Senate seat held by a retiring Sen. Richard Cordrey. Bunting held the seat until 2012, when he decided to retire. 

In an earlier Cape Gazette story, Bunting said he retired for a variety of reasons: to spend more time with his wife of 50 years, a desire to cut back his workload and for his health. Bunting received a kidney transplant in 2008, and shortly after suffered a heart attack and required a stent.

As a legislator, Bunting recalled the 15 years of trying to rebuild the Indian River Inlet bridge saying, “You see some reality. A lot of times, you just try to plant the seed.”

On the business side, Bunting opened his State Farm branch in the 1970s with his friend and fellow Vietnam veteran, Bill Vernon, which Bunting said in a 2018 Cape Gazette article was started with “a portable typewriter, an answering machine and me.”

He worked there until retiring in 2024.

Bunting grew up in Frankford and went to college in Virginia. Following college, he signed up for the Marine Corps in 1966, the early days of the Vietnam War. He said his unit was the first to take on the Viet Cong, and the experience changed his life.

Gov. Matt Meyer released a statement Feb. 15 with condolences.

“George devoted nearly three decades to serving the people of Delaware, representing the Cape Region with humility, steadiness and a deep commitment to community,” he said. “A Marine veteran and small business owner, he believed public service was about doing the work, building consensus and putting others first. Sen. Bunting always worked to find common ground and common decency in American communities that were increasingly being divided. Even after retiring from the General Assembly, he remained active and engaged, continuing to advocate for veterans, schools and the region he loved … His legacy of service will continue to be felt across Delaware for years to come.”