JOAN KENNEY MUNNERLYN, 80, died peacefully
in her sleep on Oct. 20, 2013 after a long battle
with Alzheimer's disease in Breckenridge, TX. Joan
was cremated and her ashes will be interred at the
Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene upon her
husband death.
Donnie "Joan" Kenney and her fraternal twin sister,
Bonnie "Jean" Kenney were born on November 9th and
10th, 1932 in Mingus, TX to their parents; Rollie
Elton Kenney & his wife, Gordia Leola "Kay" Littlepage
Kenney. Jean was born first at 11:45 p.m. on Nov. 9th
and Joan was born at 1:00 a.m. on Nov. 10th. In 1949,
Joan and her sister, Jean graduated from Ranger High
School with a class size of fifty-seven young adults.
In that same graduating class, the Class President
was a young man named George Keith Munnerlyn and as
their good fortune would allow, Joan would later
become Mrs. Keith Munnerlyn. Joan attended North Texas
College in Denton with coursework in mathematics. Joan
also earned her certification as an X-ray technician.
When her parents moved to Abilene, Joan began dating
Keith Munnerlyn and a life-long love and partnership
ensued. After marrying Keith Munnerlyn at Abilene in
June of 1955 in Abilene, Joan and Keith soon started
a family. Donna Kay was their first child born and
then Michael Wayne and Vickie Jean.
Joan later worked as a substitute teacher, a housewife,
an X-ray technician as well as the family chief financial
officer. As a coach's wife, Joan, traveled Texas to where
Keith's teaching and coaching took them to Stamford,
Hereford and Iraan. Joan was a highly devoted wife and
mother who gave unselfishly to her family. Joan also had
an acute passion for books, reading, bowling, bridge,
puzzles, sewing, planning family vacations, and watching
sports, especially baseball and football. Early in their
marriage the Munnerlyn family purchased a piece of land
in El Valle Escondido near Taos and built themselves a
quality log cabin. Joan and Keith would later make this
log cabin their home for many years before returning to
Breckenridge. During their life adventures, Joan & Keith
traveled Texas, the United States and the world.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents and her twin
sister, Jean Kenney Hewitt (RHS-1949) and her brother-
in-law, Larry Munnerlyn.
At the time of her death, Joan was survived by her husband,
Keith (RHS-1949) and their three children: "Donna" Kay
Munnerlyn Fowler and her husband, Mike; Michael Wayne
"Mike" Munnerlyn & his wife, Kayo, "Vickie" Jean Munnerlyn
Ramsey and her husband, Max; her nine grandchildren Keitha
Ramsey Crabtree and her husband, Stephen, Mazon Munnerlyn
and his wife, Melanie, Jerrad Ramsey and his wife, Valarie,
Emily Fowler, Shaler Munnerlyn, Luke Fowler, Seth Ramsey
and Ashtyn Ramsey Mehlhoff and husband, Jason as well as
four great-grandchildren, Parker Mehlhoff, Lily Munnerlyn,
Takami Munnerlyn and Grant Mehlhoff. Joan was also blessed
with a special bond with Keith's younger sister, Karen
White Maag and her husband Al.