Mary Ellen Munkel

Mary Ellen Munkel, age 79, of Long Beach, Mississippi passed away on March 21, 2024, at her home.

 Mary Ellen Conard Munkel was born on June 9, 1944, in Fairfield, Iowa to Gordon and Ellen Conard.  She graduated from Watertown High School in Wisconsin in 1962 and attended St. Norbert College in West DePere, Wisconsin with a major in English and a minor in Spanish.  After her junior year, Mary spent 3 months in Mexico teaching English to Mexican students.  After another trimester at college, she graduated from St. Norbert’s with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began teaching ninth grade English and drama during the second semester at Freedom Junior High School in Wisconsin.  Wanting more of a challenge, Mary secured a job teaching college bound junior and senior English at Beaver Dam High School in Wisconsin.  She was also the advisor/editor of the school’s yearbook and newspaper.  

 Mary was united in matrimony to Robert Munkel on December 21, 1968 at St Bernard’s Church in Watertown, Wisconsin.  After her husband retired, they moved to Long Beach, Mississippi where they were members of Grace Lutheran Church.  Mary, who had a hobby making homemade greeting cards with inks, stamps, and other materials, became a card designer for a rubber stamp company based in Florida. This included making sample cards for their website and conventions.  Mary created unique embossing powders and glitters to use on cards and wrote a manual showing and explaining different stamping techniques.  At the same time, she helped a beginning author by editing his books.

 Mary was preceded in death by her spouse, Robert Munkel; parents, Gordon Joseph Conard and Ellen Christina Conard of Watertown, Wisconsin; and her brother, Gordon Joseph, Jr. Conard, of Hudson, Wisconsin.  

She is survived by her son, Leif Erik Munkel, his wife, Colleen Madalene Munkel, and her grandson, Sander Liam Munkel, all in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and many friends.

 The memorial service for Mary Munkel is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15^th Street, Gulfport, Mississippi, followed by a committal of ashes at Jones Park. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15^th Street, Gulfport, is honored to serve the Munkel family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Dubard School for Language Disorders at the University of Southern Mississippi. Donations, in Mary Munkel’s name, may be made by calling 601-266-5223.