Obituary of Capt. Norbert Muench

Muench, Norbert William (December 4, 1919 - August 2, 2010) 90, of Seminole, FL, entered "peacefully" into rest on August 2, 2010 at the Bay Pines Veterans Administration (VA) Hospice Care Unit. Bud Muench was born in Syracuse, NY, the son of Mildred Gang and Norbert C. H. Muench. He graduated from Bellevue Jr. High School (Class Salutatorian), Syracuse, NY; Dean Academy, Franklin, MA; Amherst College, Amherst, MA; and the Wharton Graduate School - University of Pennsylvania from which he received an MBA. Bud Muench served with the US Navy and Coast Guard in WWII. He enlisted in the Navy V-7 Program in January 1942. He entered the Coast Guard (CG) Academy CRC program and was commissioned as an Ensign in November 1942 with orders to the US Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) and Icebreaker "Onondaga" in the Aleutians. He served as a deck officer operating in the area of Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Adak and Amchitka, Alaska until the re-taking of Attu Island in June 1943. He was ordered to flight training, designated at Pensacola as CG aviator #191 with assignment to Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) Biloxi, MS and flew the PH2 (Hall Flying Boat), OS2U, J4F, and JRF. He also qualified as a Patrol Plane Commander in PBMs at Naval Air Station (NAS) Banana River. He trained for instruments at FAA Houston and volunteered as PPC with the Biloxi PBY5A crew for duty with VPB6 squadron in Greenland. He flew as PPC the First International Ice Patrol Flight on February 6, 1946. As a CG reserve officer, LT Muench was appointed instrument training instructor for Navy squadron VP836 at Naval Air Station (NAS) New York. During active duty training (ACDUTRA) in 1956, as PPC, he retraced the NC4 Transatlantic crossing route, landing a PB4Y2 on the Rock of Gibraltar. He was selected in 1959 as Commanding Officer (CO) for ORTUR 03-392, the first "operational" reserve unit formed for the Rescue Coordination Center Eastern Area. Inspectors reported, "this was a truly an operational unit:" He was runner up for the Canfield Trophy for two consecutive years. In 1962 he was assigned as CG liaison officer with the Air Force (AF) -SAGE System, Syracuse, NY. He attended both the Naval War College and National War College reserve training schools. He retired in February 1972 as a Captain after 30 years of distinguished military service. Bud was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA), New York State Society of CPAs (NYSCPA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the NYS Society of CPAs and the Muench-Kreuzer Candle Co. He was Executive Vice President of Jay B. Rudolph, Inc. He was a member of the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce for which he was Chairman of the Business Advisory Council. He also served as Chairman of the Professional Division of The United Fund and was Chairman of the Board of The Soule Clinic. After moving to Seminole, FL in 1978 with Jay B. Rudolph, Inc., Bud became a member of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 and served as a consultant with Executive Service Corps of Tampa (ESCOT). Bud was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who shared his passions for golf, tennis, flying, and reading with his family. He will be remembered for providing endless encouragement to seek knowledge, new experiences, and bargain deals. Mr. Muench was a member of the Bellevue Country Club (Syracuse, NY), Lake Seminole Country Club (Seminole, FL), Pass-A-Grille Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, FL), and the New York Athletic Club. Survivors are his beloved wife of 62 years Irene Marvin Muench of Seminole, FL; a daughter Kathryn (Daniel) M. Coughlin of Skaneateles, NY; Two sons William (Roberta) A. Muench of Hopkinton, MA & Mark (Mary) M. Muench of Fairport, NY; grandchildren Daniel Coughlin, Jennifer Coughlin-Orsen, Kathleen Coughlin-Morrissey, Rachel and Roland Muench, and Andrew, Brian, and Christopher Muench; 7 great grandchildren; sisters Elizabeth Dumanian, Nancy Edinger, and Marilyn Bittner as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and Sister Mildred Muench. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Ann 's Church, 4471 Onondaga Blvd., Syracuse, NY on August 21st at 11 AM; calling hours will be from 10 -11 AM at St. Ann 's prior to the funeral Mass. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery on November 16, 2010. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Brady Faith Center ( P.O. Box 993, Syracuse , NY 13201-0993 ); St. Ann 's Church ( 4471 Onondaga Blvd. , Syracuse, NY 13219; or Bay Pines VA Hospice and Palliative Care Unit (Bay Pines VAHCS-5C, P.O. Box 5005, Bay Pines, FL 33744).