Frank Munger

Frank Munger did more in one lifetime than most could do in many. He was an outgoing, gregarious man, whose zest for life and getting things done made him a beloved figure in his community, and to his country. He was a proud veteran, loving husband, father and grandfather, and a friend to many. More than anything, Frank was a man who taught us that before you can lead, you must be willing to serve.

Frank’s story began on a snowy winter day in 1915, as the Munger family rang in the New Year on their little farm in Cascade Township, Michigan. Those were exciting times in this country, when the advent of the airplane and the automobile taught Americans they could do anything. This was the world that Frank Munger was born into on New Year’s Day, and the outlook he carried with him his whole life.

Frank also learned about perseverance at an early age. His mother, Cornelia (Fuller) Munger, sadly died when he was just seven, and his father, Roy, was out of the picture at an early age. So young Frank went to live with his grandparents. His grandma, Mary Fuller, was in a wheelchair, so he had to work on various farms in the area to make ends meet.

He didn’t have much time for school growing up, but he attended Caledonia High School for three years, before dropping out in 1933 to join the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was the height of the Great Depression, and times were very tough, and the CCC gave opportunities to many.

The corps had a profound impact on Frank, who saw the value in hard work and public service and championed both the rest of his life. And it was hard work. He served in the Upper Peninsula, cutting fire trails through the forest and building bridges over rivers. They stayed in tents until the snows came, when they moved into barracks in Munising — not that they were much warmer. In January of 1934, the mercury fell to a bone-chilling 49-below zero!

But Frank stuck with it, and socked away $5 from his $30 paycheck every month. He earned a little more working as a barber on the side, too.

In July of 1934, Frank left the CCC, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he was trained to become a deep-sea diver and part of the Navy’s experimental dive team. He became a career Navy man, and held the rate of Chief Hospital Corpsman and First Class Diver, serving on several submarine rescue and salvage diving vessels during both World War II and the Korean Conflict.

Frank also became a husband and father along the way, too. He married a wonderful woman named Beatrice Furlong on October 23, 1942, in Maryland, beginning many happy years together. Before he knew it, Frank was the proud father of four fine children, Gail, James, Darlene, and Raymond.

Frank retired from the Navy in 1957, after more than 20 years, and the family settled in La Plata, Maryland. Frank began selling life insurance for ACACIA Mutual Insurance Company, with Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia as his territory. He loved the job, and would remain there for 17 years until retiring in 1974, but there was much more to Frank than his full-time career.

Frank was a man passionate about public service, and about being a leader in his community. During his years in Maryland he was the chapter chairman of the Charles County Red Cross, President of the Fleet Reserve Association Branch 205, in Indian Head, Maryland and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in Indian Head MD and the American Legion Post in LaPlata, Maryland. If all that weren’t enough, Frank also served on the board of directors of the Prince Georges County Maryland Red Cross Chapter, too. Being a fan of politics, he even ran for Mayor of his town once!

After he “retired,” in 1974, Frank and Beatrice moved back to his native Michigan, settling in the Grand Rapids area. There he became busier than ever, and added to his legion of organizations and activities he served.

Frank became an integral and well-known figure in the Grand Rapids community, as well as state-wide. Frank was the founder of the first CCC Alumni Chapter in Michigan, and was in the forefront with State Representative Thomas Mathieu in getting the Michigan Civilian Conservation Bill passed, during former Governor Jim Blanchard’s administration. He was also responsible in getting a CCC Museum established at North Higgins Lake State Park, near Roscommon. Frank was chairman and organizer of annual CCC reunions for more than 20 years at Higgins Lake, and was a life member of the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni Chapter No. 29.

Frank was also very proud of his military service, and a member of Fleet Reserve Association Branch No. 298, Carl A. Johnson American Legion Post No. 2, the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3023, the National and International Chief Petty Officers Association, the U.S. Navy Enlisted Reserve Association, the Retired Enlisted Association, the Coalition of Retired Military Veterans, 40 ET Eight Voiture No. 557, the Institute of Diving, and even served as Secretary Emeritus of the ASR/ARS Divers Association!

As the years went by, Frank found new causes to champion, as well. He served as president of the Senior Citizen's Service Cooperative (SCOOP) in Grand Rapids for seven years, and did home repairs for seniors for 15 years. Frank created a senior computer club at the Applied Technology Center at Grand Rapids Community College in 1998, which in just a year's time grew from 10 members to over 150 seniors.

Frank had other interests, too, from listening to talk shows, to playing poker with his friends, to cooking and canning food. He was a great cook, of course, and his specialties were his famous chili and his homemade spaghetti sauce. Thanksgiving was always his favorite holiday, and he did the cooking and carving, too. He also loved being around his family and friends, with a genuine love for people. Frank knew the importance of continuing to learn, and even went back to school to earn his GED, and later took one year of college classes, too.

Frank’s beloved Beatrice died in January of 1990, though a man as outgoing and open as he was wouldn’t remain alone for long. He eventually met a wonderful woman named Madeline, and they were married in the mid-1990s. Sadly, she died in 2005, after more than a decade together.

Frank continued on, though his health was in decline. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2003, a fight he was determined to win.

Sadly, Frank died on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at the age of 92, after bravely battling cancer for four years.

Frank was an incredible man, who lived an incredible life, a life so full of proud service. Frank championed conservation, his country, and his community, with his service, his loyalty, and his leadership. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and a friend to so many. More than anything, Frank knew that to become a great man, you must first be a good man. To the many people he touched, Frank was certainly both.

Frank was preceded in death by his two wives, Beatrice and Madeline, his daughter Gail Ann Bowie in 1982 his brother Robert Munger, his sister Helen Munger DeGood, his father Roy M. Munger, his mother Cornelia Fuller Munger and his grandmother Mary Fuller. Surviving are his children: James Munger, Darlene J. (Wilbur) Thomas, Raymond (Gerelyn) Munger, 6 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Monday at 1 P.M. at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. N.W. with military honors under the auspices of the Kent County Veterans Honor Guard. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington DC. Mr. Munger reposes at the funeral home where relatives and friends may meet his family Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. To share a memory or sign the register book please visit www.lifestorynet.com