Robert W. Muntz's Obituary
Robert William Muntz was born in Tacoma to John and Elizabeth Muntz on October 23,
1928, and passed away in Tacoma on December 30, 2024, at the age of 96 years. He
attended Lincoln Elementary School, Zion Lutheran School, Concordia Lutheran
School, and graduated from Stadium High School in 1946. Bob had four sisters:
Florence Muntz, Betty Jane Muntz, Marilynn Kuhlmann Holman, and Linda Lum.
On March 31, 1951 Bob married Shirley Mae Furseth. They were married for more than
65 years until Shirley’s death in September 2016. Together they had four children:
Andrew (Leslie) Muntz of Edmonds, WA., Thomas (Linda) Muntz of Federal Way, WA.,
Eileen Hudak (Mark) of Tacoma, and Diane Moore (Mike) of Tacoma.
They had eight grandchildren: Nathan (Alisa) Muntz, Aaron (Ali) Muntz, Jonathan
(Zhenia) Hudak, Amanda (Yogi Patel) Hudak, Jordan (Janell Spirup) Hudak, Jacob
(Tiffany) Moore, Kaylee (AJ) Debeck, and Christian (Elle) Moore. He also was blessed
with 11 great-grandchildren: Brody, Adi, Theodore, Luna, Audrey, Marielle, River,
Emmett, Sona, Fia, and Maya.
Bob served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 1948 to 1957, and was a letter carrier for
the U.S. Postal Service for 39 years. He was very active in the National Association of
Letter Carriers (NALC), having served as president of Branch #130 in Tacoma,
president of the Washington State association of the NALC, and as an assistant national
business agent for the NALC’s Northwest District. Besides other awards, he was
recently honored by the president of the NALC for being an active member of the union
for 75 years.
Bob was a devoted friend who enjoyed watching baseball and participating in activities
such as bowling and playing horseshoes. Among Bob’s favorite pastimes was working
at the grandstand at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup each September. He was an
usher there for over 50 years from 1954 to 2008. He became the assistant
superintendent of the usher crew in 1994 and was the superintendent during his final 12
seasons at the fair.
Faith in the Lord was an important part of his life since childhood. Bob was a long-time
member of Zion Lutheran Church in Tacoma, where he held various positions, including
congregation president, Sunday School teacher, and member of the choir. He was a
member and served as president of the local Rainier Chapter of the American Historical
Society of Germans from Russia. Bob and Shirley also spent 16 years as volunteers at
the Washington State History Museum.
Besides his beloved wife, Shirley, Bob was preceded in death by his parents and
sisters, Florence and Betty Jane. In lieu of flowers, Bob requested that donations be
made in his memory to the Tacoma Seafarer’s Center or toward ovarian cancer
research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
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