Veda Mae Munk Romney, peacefully passed from this life on October 10, 2018. She was a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister. Veda was born in Logan, UT on April 15, 1923 to Ione and Newell Munk. She loved growing up in Cache Valley riding her little pony “Tony”. Veda attended the University of California Berkeley, but spent most of her college life at Utah State University where she graduated. She was affiliated with Chi Omega sorority, where she made life-long friends. She was always a loyal Aggie. Her best friends dubbed themselves the “Steady Eight.”
On October 6, 1948 she married Dick Romney in the Logan temple. Veda and Dick settled in Salt Lake surrounded by a wide circle of friends with whom they played bridge, skied, golfed, socialized and raised their children: Renee Greenberg (Marc), Elizabeth Romney (Jim Giles), Carol Larsen (Tim) and Richard Romney (Laura).
In 1962 the family moved to eastern Tennessee where Dick worked for Pet Dairy. It was a formative time in the family’s life. Veda returned to school to earn a Master’s degree in business education from East Tennessee State University while she raised the kids, served in the Sunday School and Primary at the city’s small branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was president of the PTA. In the summers she drove with four young children across the country to Salt Lake to visit family, with Dick following later.
Upon returning to Salt Lake in 1968, Veda became a teacher at LDS Business College while volunteering at church, United Way, and other non-profits. After retirement, she continued her volunteer work for Voices for Utah Children. She loved hiking in the mountains and foothills, gardening, cooking, classical music, ballet, opera, reading, and being with her many friends and family. She was also a prolific writer of “letters to the editor” of the local newspaper, much to Dick’s chagrin. Hers was a full, rich life.
The center of Veda and Dick’s lives throughout their marriage were the summers spent at the Romney cabin on Hebgen Lake in Montana. She made sure all her grandchildren got to spend time there alone with just Grandma and Grandpa enjoying cabin breakfasts, beach games, boating and bonfires. Her 11 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren were the joy of her later years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dick Romney, sisters, Maridean Ryberg, and Renee Munk and a brother Cleve Munk. Veda leaves behind her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren as well as two sisters, Jeanette Woolley (Jim) and Joan Gunn (Tom), and her sister-in-law Jan Dunbar (Cal also deceased).
The family will have a private service Monday, October 15th at Wasatch Lawn with a Celebration of Life to follow at a later date.
The family would like to thank the staff of Abbington Care Center for the loving, attentive care they gave to Veda during the last year. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Voices for Utah Children.
We love you, Mom, and will miss your sweet but powerful influence in our lives.