| Graduation Year | Class of 1962 |
| Date of Passing | Jul 31, 2022 |
| About | OBITUARY WILLIAM WALDEN MUNSIL b. June 26, 1944, d. July 31, 2022 Our brother William, resident of Mesa, Arizona, nicknamed "Two Dollar Bil" for his love of that denomination of currency, passed away recently after a long illness. Bil was born in Portland, Oregon, the sixth child of Lee E. Munsil, Sr. and Evelyn Martha Shaw Munsil. At the end of WWII, when Bil was one year old, the family returned to Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Monterey Park and Madison #2 elementary schools in Phoenix, Arizona and Kaimuki High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Phoenix Camelback High School in 1962, and from Phoenix College in 1964. He entered the United States Air Force in 1965 and served three different tours as an electric computer systems technian, a missile launch specialist, and a missile trainer specialist. He served with the 6937th Communications Group at the then-secret USAF Security Service listening post in Peshawar, Pakistan, during the Viet Nam war. He was later stationed at Peterson Field, Cheyenne Mountain (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, served at Vandenberg AFB in California and at Francis B. Warren AFB in Wyoming, and received his final honorable discharge in 1977, whereupon he returned to Phoenix. While in the serivice of our country he received the AF Good Conduct Medal (3); National Defense Service Medal (2); Longevity Service Award; and Outstanding Unit Award. Bil had many interests and accomplishments. He was renowned for his sense of humor, being able to come up with puns and to remember more jokes than most people have ever heard. He was also renowned for the magnificent curly white "Santa Claus" beard he had for many years. He was in the top 1% of Mensa membership, and received a certificate for being the longest-enrolled member of the Arizona Society of Mayflower Descendants, after 50 years of membership in that organization. He was a kind man who delighted in doing nice things for others. He was fluent in Esperanto, the international language, which he taught himself. He was interested in numismatics and had an extensive coin collection. He was the family geneaologist, researching not only his Munsil and Shaw families but his ancestors to the Mayflower and beyond, in England, Scotland, and France. He was a "ham" radio operator and branched out into television, being one of the founders of the Arizona Amateurs on Television (AATV) Ham TV organization, and had the call sign K1ATV. He was active in the Libertarian Party, acting as a precinctman, and was the Libertarian candidate for Justice of the Peace when he lived in Yarnell, Arizona. Bil loved music; he played the trumpet and had a beautiful singing voice, singing in the Orpheus Boy's Choir as a child and later in the choir of every church which he attended. He also sang at weddings and other special occasions. One of his musical arrangements was used in a service at First United Methodist Church of Colorado Springs. Bil also served as caregiver for his mother in her last years. Bil is survived by his sister Martha May Patterson; his sister Joanne Evelyn Burnett and Joanne's husband the Rev. Dr. Ivan Blackwell Burnett, Jr; his brother Lee Elverton Munsil, Jr. and Lee's wife Linda Mary Munsil; his sister Lois Elvira Hunt; and his brother Dr. Wesley Elwood Munsil and Wesley's wife Dr. Janet Carol Siebert; in addition to numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and great-great nieces and great-great nephews. Bil was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Marilyn Sue Stout and her husband Rev. Arthur Paul Stout; his sister Martha's husband George Williams Patterson; and his sister Lois' husband Marvin Ralph Hunt. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Veterans Affinity https://veteransaffinity.org). |
