Mary Jacqueline Munch

Mary Jacqueline (Bell) Munch, 90, of Grand Island died Tuesday, August 4, 2015. Services will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church. The Reverend Dr. Theresa Mason and Rev. Del Roper will officiate. Burial will be in Grand Island City Cemetery at 10 a.m. Monday. Visitation will be from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, August 8, at All Faiths Funeral Home. Mary was born January 26, 1925 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Paul B. and Laura Mae (Smith) Bell. Those left to cherish her memory include her children and their spouses, James F. (Karen) Munch of Pueblo, CO, Marjorie L. (Munch) Balderston of Grand Island, Caroline S. Munch (Ed Niehaus) of Denver, CO, Jane M. (Munch) Flurkey of East Northport, NY and Thomas P. (Jennifer) Munch of Pueblo West, CO; brother, Jack (Sue) Bell of Diablo, CA; and sister, Eleanor (Leon) Schaller of Burlington, NC. Additional survivors include her grandchildren, Laura A. Munch, Robert J. Munch, Pamela K. Balderston, Piper M. Niehaus, Eric P. Niehaus, Maxwell E. Niehaus, Ian A. Flurkey, Zachary J. Flurkey and Hillary M. Flurkey; step-grandchildren, Brian J. (Jill) Fuller, Jeffery G. Fuller and Matthew L. Fuller (Anneliese Wells); and step great-grandchildren, Reid Fuller, Chase Fuller and Oliver Fuller. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Dr. Robert F. Munch, July 22, 2005. Mary was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma but her real joy was summers spent in New Mexico on land purchased by her family, starting in 1930. Her father and mother were both school teachers, and when she was five they bought a 40-acre parcel of land near the small town of Eagle Nest in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the $100 her mother had saved from teaching. As a teenager she led pack trips up to Blue Lake in the shadow of Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico. Fishing for trout resulted in many satisfying dinners. This property remains a special place to Mary, her siblings and all their descendants. Many of whom congregate there together each summer. Mary finished her senior year of high school while living with her best friend, Nancy, as her family was following her father as he trained for service in WWII. After graduation from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Foods and Nutrition in 1945, she completed a dietetic internship at Hines VA Hospital near Chicago where she met Robert Munch, then completing his medical training after serving in WWII. Mary was united in marriage to Robert Munch on June 27, 1948 in Maywood, IL. The couple moved first to Lincoln, NE where Robert began his medical career at the VA hospital. They moved to Grand Island to open the new Grand Island Veterans Hospital in 1950. Along with raising their five children, Mary remained active in her community. She was a founding member of the Prairie Pioneer Genealogical Society, a passion that began early in her life when she earned a Campfire Girls’ badge. She also helped found the Grand Island Area Graduates of Home Economists. She has not only participated in her many groups, but has been in leadership positions in most of them. She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women, the Hall County Historical Society, the National Assoc. of Retired Federal Employers, Mid Nebraska Users of Computers, the American Association of University Women, and has been active with the Girl Scouts. Favorite phrases of Mom’s that we will always remember include “Oh tweet!” and “Oh skeezix!” We will miss her quick wit, her undying love, support and loyalty, and her dimples when she smiled. Memorials are suggested to Hall County Historical Society, P.O. Box 1683, Grand Island, NE 68802.

Mary Jacqueline Munch

January 26, 1925 - August 4, 2015

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Mary Jacqueline Munch

January 26, 1925 - August 4, 2015

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support