Benton Thomas Munday Sr.

Benton Thomas Munday Sr., 83, of Prairie Village died suddenly January 9th, 2011. A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 13th, at Cherokee Christian Church, 75th and Belinder, Prairie Village with visitation at 10:00 a.m. that day at the church. He was born September 1, 1927, in Kansas City, to Benton Frank and Edna Anna Munday. He graduated in spring 1945 from Paseo High School and promptly enlisted in the Navy Reserve, achieving the rank of 3rd Class Petty Officer within a year. He was released from active duty in September 1946. Returning home to Kansas City, he attended Kansas City University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1949 and a master's in education in 1953. He joined the Business Men's Assurance Company of America in 1950, serving as an executive and retiring in 1986. He achieved his Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 1966. After retiring, he taught life and health insurance classes for 15 years. Always active in the community, he served on the Prairie Village City Council from 1983 to 1994, serving as council president in 1987. He also was chairman of the Prairie Village Park and Recreation Committee. In honor of his service, the City of Prairie Village designated Arbor Day 2010 as "Benton T. Munday Day" and in 2008 awarded him the VillageFest Community Spirit Award. He truly loved the parks and was an avid walker in Prairie Village's Franklin Park. Proud of his alma mater, he was a tireless advocate for the UMKC Kangaroo cause and was president of the UMKC Alumni Association in 1971-72. He was a former president of the Prairie Ridge and Corinth Hills homes associations and spent 30 years on the board of the Homes Associations of the Country Club District. He was a 40-year member of Cherokee Christian Church. He was a 50-year member of the Old Mission Lodge AF&AM, a 50-year member of the Scottish Rite Temple and a 50-year member of Abdallah Shrine Temple. He married Rosemary Klausman in 1950 and moved to Prairie Village in 1954. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2010. He loved to barbecue, to dog-sit his children's basset hounds, and to craft stained glass and to do woodworking projects. He was enormously proud in 2003 when he became a grandfather, insisting that everyone he met see a picture of his beloved grandson, "J.T." He was a loyal, loving husband and a caring father. He was vocally grateful for his many blessings, often saying, "The Lord has been so good to me." He is survived by his wife, Rosemary Munday; sons Benton Thomas Munday Jr. of Shawnee, and Donald Munday of Prairie Village; daughter, Ann Marie Lilak of Prairie Village; son-in-law, John Lilak; and grandson, John Thomas Lilak. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Cherokee Christian Church or to any Shrine charity. Arrangements under the direction of Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.