Warren — When Fr. Donald Kuntz finally received his first assignment as a pastor in 1961, he was “wildly happy” after having waited 20 years after his ordination, recalled his friend and one-time associate pastor, Fr. Donald Dacey.

Little did Fr. Kuntz know that his first pastorate would involve starting a new parish, one which he would lead for 23 years and from which he would be buried 52 years later.

But Fr. Kuntz’ leadership of St. Cletus Parish in Warren — now part of Our Lady of Grace (Vietnamese) Parish — left more than a big imprint on both his parishioners and fellow priests, Fr. Dacey said.

“I enjoyed every minute of my five-plus years here,” said Fr. Dacey, who served with Fr. Kuntz as associate pastor of St. Cletus from 1964-69. “He was great. He was a great boss. He was kind. He didn’t look over your shoulder. He didn’t bug you too much about anything. He enjoyed living and he wanted those around him to enjoy their living. And he did.”

Fr. Kuntz, 99, the oldest priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, died June 13.

“When it came to people, he loved his parishioners. He loved them every minute. He was kind to them. He was not a man to embrace confrontation. If at all possible, Fr. Don tried to stay away from that. I always thought that was a very good trait to have,” Fr. Dacey said. “He’s a man that reached out to people, that impressed them, that tried to help everybody make life a little bit easier.”

Fr. Dacey said he and Fr. Kuntz remained close over the years, so close that Fr. Kuntz would constantly remind him that “you’re giving my eulogy.”

Doing just that June 17 at St. Cletus Church, Fr. Dacey told a full congregation of mourners and well-wishers that Fr. Kuntz was always a pleasant person to be around. An avid sportsman, Fr. Kuntz loved to take fellow priests hunting and fishing up north. The co-founder of Stella Maris, a hunting lodge for priests in Gaylord, Fr. Kuntz would often bring his catches — trout, pheasants, rabbits, deer — back for fellow priests and parishioners to enjoy.

“He was somebody who appreciated having another priest around, a brother priest. And that’s the way I was always treated,” Fr. Dacey said, adding that Fr. Kuntz had taught him how to hunt pheasant.

Fr. Kuntz also loved to golf and play cards and would spend many winters at the PGA National in Palm Beach, Fla.

At the funeral Mass, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said prayers for Fr. Kuntz were being said in parishes across the archdiocese. The archbishop, who celebrated the Mass, was joined by Bishops Arturo Cepeda, Francis Reiss, Michael Byrnes and nearly two dozen priests and deacons at St. Cletus, as well as members of the Knights of Columbus guard. Archbishop Vigneron added that Fr. Kuntz’ 72 years of priestly service were a testament to both his and God’s fidelity.

“Sometimes, perseverance is a virtue that is underappreciated,” the archbishop said. “But showing up day after day, being faithful, year in and year out, decade after decade, is a great gift from God and a great sign of man’s cooperation with grace. Certainly we’ve seen that in Fr. Kuntz, and we admire that in him, and I hope all of you take heart as well in knowing how highly we, too, have all thought of Father.”

Born May 1, 1914, the son of Daniel and Carolyn Kuntz, Donald Bernard Kuntz was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 7, 1941, after having studied at Sacred Heart and Mt. St. Mary seminaries. He served as assistant pastor at St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Hazel Park (1941-46), and St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Pontiac (1946-50), before becoming assistant director of religious education for the archdiocese in 1954.

Fr. Kuntz served as assistant pastor at Visitation Parish, Detroit (1954-59), and at St. Thecla Parish, Clinton Township (1959-61), before being named pastor of St. Cletus Parish, Warren, where he served until being granted senior priest status in 1984.

Fr. Kuntz also served as chaplain to the Warren Police Department and the Detroit Lions.

He was predeceased by his parents, Daniel and Carolyn Kuntz, and a brother. Interment is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield.