Emil and Rosalia Muench's Photograph Collections: Richard

You'll find pages 1, 2 , 3, 4 and 5 in the archives at the right. Some of the photographs on them were in Ottillie "Tillie" Leeson's estate, and others were copied from collections shared by her siblings and nieces and nephews who lived in Canada.

Unfortunately, I have no photographs of Richard "Dick" Muench. However, below is a sketch of Dick's life.

RICHARD "Dick" was born April 18, 1908 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Emil and Rosalie Marion (ne: Herr) Muench.  Dick was two years old when the family moved onto a homestead about 16 miles southeast of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, on the S.E 1/4 of Section 34, Township 13, Range 11, in the Bigford District.

During the 1918 flu epidemic, when Dick was about ten years old, his teacher, Miss Sloan, got it first. Dick got so delirious he thought the house was tipping over because his sister, Wanda, swept all the dirt by the stove.

Like all of the children, Dick worked hard on his parents prairie farm, helping to clear the land of rocks, plant shelterbelt trees, milk cows, feed pigs, raise chickens and in their grain harvest. After completing eight grades of school at the local school, his father and mother allowed him to attend higher education in normal school in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

 

Family legend has it that Dick got more pleasure from music and card games than he did from studying, so his father promptly removed him from school and brought him back to the farm to work – and declared that he wasn't supporting any more such foolishness. Henceforth, none of his children would attend school beyond the eight grades available in the one-room school three miles from the homestead.

Dick remained in Canada until after the harvest before joining his parents, who in 1928 had moved to Chester, Washington. He never returned to Canada. Dick found work in Spokane and married Marion Heath (born in 1916.) They had three sons, Larry (ca. 1936), Alan (ca. 1938) and Kenneth (ca. 1940.)

 

Robert 'Bob', Richard 'Dick', and Rienhold Muench

Dick worked for Inland Empire Freight, a transport company in Spokane. He was intensely interested in his job and very patriotic. Every July 4^th, which is America's Independence Day, Dick always brought flares from the company and set them off in place of fireworks. Dick loved children and gardening. He and Marion kept a succession of foster children for many years.

Dick was a great handy man, a good mechanic, and a wonderful husband and father, too. He died of a heart attack January 16, 1954, after shoveling snow when he came home from work. In 1966, Marion also died of a heart attack at their home on 24^th Avenue in Spokane.

Larry was killed in a motorcycle accident near Seattle, Washington. He left a wife and one son. Kenny and Alan continued to live in Spokane and work there. As of 2002. Kenny worked at Spauldings Wrecking yard.

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