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MARY ELLEN MUNN
Born: Aug 30, 1928
Date of Passing: Aug 05, 2025
Send Flowers to the Family Offer Condolences or MemoryMARY ELLEN MUNN
Pre-deceased by husband: William Samuel Munn, Survived by three children: William Hugh Munn (Elaine), Laurel Ellen Munn, and Pamela Eileen Munn Reichert (Karl) and five grandchildren: Courtney Jade Balaz-Munn, Morgan Jane Balaz-Munn (Nicky), Bronwyn Brooke Balaz-Munn (Maggie), Ila Mary Reichert Aumell (Christian), and Arlo Donald William Reichert (Katya).
Mary passed quietly on the morning of August 5, 2025, and had spent just over a year in Tuxedo Villa Extendicare, where she was safe and cared for. From around 22 years earlier, she lived in River Heights in Winnipeg, with her middle child Laurel, who devoted herself to keeping mom at home and cared for.
Our mom was spunky. She was funny and she was tough. The eighth of nine children (seven of them girls!) she learned early on to stand up for herself. After leaving her Dauphin home right after high school, she went into the big city of Winnipeg to study to be a legal secretary. Through her secretarial work at the RCMP she met our dad, Bill Munn, and they married in December of 1952.
Mary was quite a storyteller and was always being told she should write her stories down and publish them. She would entertain at get-togethers with tales of her adventures in small town Manitoba as an RCMP wife. RCMP transfers and moves in snow storms, river rescues by canoeing RCMP members, bombardiers through the cold and snow, and too long stewed moose meat were all woven into hilarious stories where she played various roles: she told of being in all sorts of situations and acting as fire smeller extraordinaire, or the supportive neighbour, or possibly the instigator of high jinks.
The Witwicki’s had seven daughters and two sons. When those sisters got together, even just a couple of them, it was going to be a raucous evening. Each would speak louder than the others to be heard, over blaring radios or televisions, smokes and drinks were abundant, and they all had a blast at every family gathering. These gatherings often took place at “the lake” in the summer, which could mean one of three cabins: Ours was a rental cottage on Lake of the Woods, Margaret’s place at Blindfold Lake, or Nell’s at Hunt Lake. At the lake, the three of us kids had our summer brothers, our cousins Brian, Doug and Dave, and whatever parents were on vacation. We would often rotate through different parents over a few weeks of summer vacation. As a result, our families were very close.
The travels of an RCMP family led to many changes in our childhoods, with different homes, towns and schools, but the summers at the lake were a constant. Mary and Bill lived in Portage la Prairie the longest of any of their homes. Dad retired from the RCMP there, Mom retired from being head secretary at Campbells Soup there, and there was a short era of farm living. Moving to Winnipeg in later years, to the house in River Heights meant that they disconnected with many good friends. Bill passed away in 2006 from Alzheimer’s at the age of 79. Mary is the last of the Witwicki siblings and was pre-deceased by her youngest sister Margaret by just a few weeks. This was in keeping with the closeness of those two sisters.
Mary’s passing will be honoured in a small private family gathering, and she will be missed by all who knew her.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 09, 2025
Condolences & Memories (2 entries)
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Mary and Bill Munn became a wonderful part of the Balaz family when Bill Jr and my daughter Connie became a family unit. Our family was much enriched by the addition of Bill Sr. and Mary. While living in Winnipeg I would quite often have Mary as a passenger on my Transit bus. We had wonderful conversations during those times. Mary was a lovely person who loved to talk. She loved her family without reservation and it certainly was our pleasure sharing with them, our mutual granddaughters, Courtney, Morgan and Bronwyn Balaz Munn. As Bill is missed....so will Mary be missed also. Rest in Peace dear souls. - Posted by: Lorraine Balaz Neal (extended family) on: Aug 11, 2025
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I was stationed with the RCMP in Portage La Prairie in 1969 and met Bill in the Bank of Montreal when I arrived there from training. I was struck by how friendly he was for being the S/Sgt. there at the time. He was a good friend to all of the members stationed under his command. I met Mary at one of our gatherings in the fall of 1969 and found her to be a super nice lady. Unfortunately I was moved out of Portage in early 1970 and lost contact with these fine people. RIP Bill & Mary ..... - Posted by: Kevin Anthony Duckett (Friend) on: Aug 09, 2025
