Genevieve Munns

Mary Genevieve Munns, 96, of Las Cruces, NM passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at her residence in Las Cruces. She was born on January 6, 1920 to Michael William Ahern and Nora Madeline Campion Ahern in Lewiston, MN. Genevieve grew up & attended schools in Lewiston and Winona, MN. At the outbreak of WWII, she moved to Bremerton, WA where she married her Minnesota sweetheart, Dwayne E Munns on July 18, 1942. During Dwayne's WWII service in the Pacific Theatre, she held a position with Lloyds of London in San Francisco, handling classified information regarding naval ship movements. Following the end of the war, she & Dwayne moved to the Los Angeles, CA area where their two children were born: Kathleen in 1946 and Robert in 1950. They lived in Inglewood, CA until 1968 when they purchased a home in the growing Orange County area of Westminster. She worked variously in the aircraft industry, the production side of the recording industry & as an office manager for a number of small businesses. Genevieve (also known as Jean) and Dwayne were active members in their parishes in both Inglewood & Westminster. In 1988, they moved to Cameron Park in Northern California where they were instrumental members in the founding of a new parish and church, Holy Trinity. Following Dwayne's passing in 2004, she moved for a year to Michigan to be near her youngest granddaughter. In 2007, she moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico where her daughter, Kathleen and her husband were living, as well as a grandson & great-grandchildren. During retirement, she experimented with a number of hobbies, but found her true passion in oil painting. She became a renowned artist, earning national recognition on several occasions and painted well into her eighties. She sold hundreds of paintings and gave many to various family members. She is survived by two sisters, Katherine Meyer of Tucson, AZ and Lucille Hennessey of Sandy, OR; as well as her daughter Kathleen Barnes of Las Cruces, NM; her son Robert Munns of Highland Park, CO; 4 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. A rosary & vigil will be held at 7PM the evening of Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at Getz Funeral Home in Las Cruces. A requiem Mass will be held at 10AM on Thursday, March 17, 2016, at Holy Cross Church in Las Cruces, NM. Interment will be with her husband in their family plot in Cameron Park, CA. In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association of New Mexico. 9500 Montgomery Boulevard NE, Suite 121, Albuquerque, NM 87111.