Alfred Mundt, 82 of Maumee, Ohio passed away peacefully at home on March 5, 2019 surrounded by his loving children. He was born in Bochum, Germany on May 9, 1936 to Willy and Hildegard Mundt. The family struggled through the war, having to evacuate multiple times.
They received notification in 1949 that his father had been killed in Latvia. His mother remarried in 1950, to his step father Willy Schuermann who helped finance enrollment in a 2 year business school. He later attended a trade school to complete his Associates Degree in Business Administration.
In 1959, to seek better opportunities, he traveled by ship on the US America, an old Navy ship that had been refurbished for travel between the US and Germany. This trip took 9 days, two days longer than expected because of rough waters. In May of 1960, he worked at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC as a mail clerk, a position he enjoyed because he could interact with the hotel guests.
Later that year, he enlisted in the United States Air Force with the hope of better acquainting himself with the country, the people and the language. He did his basic training in both San Antonio and Amarillo, TX. He later was stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base, in Mount Clemens, MI, where he proudly served for the next 4 years, and worked in the ACOCP Supply Division.
His roommates were Harvey Labadie, Ron Lezotte and Ron Sivilo. These men formed a brotherly bond, and became lifelong friends. It was during his time in the service that Alfred was introduced to Harvey’s sister, Lee Ann, whom he fell in love with and married in 1964.
Together, they had four children. Al soon took a position at Carpet City in Michigan, and was later transferred to the Toledo area to take the position of store manager. He was a great salesman who wanted to make sure all his customers left happy, and for many years he had a very successful career in both sales and management at Carpet City, and later, New York Carpet World.
He and his wife Lee Ann decided to combine their interests and opened the Bavarian Inn in Grand Rapids, Ohio, where they served delicious German food prepared mostly by Lee Ann, using authentic family recipes. They operated the restaurant for several years before selling it to open the Alt Heidelberg. This restaurant is where Jay Fox, the famous musician and voice heard in the Weingarten at the German American Festival, was first introduced to the Toledo area.
The stress of running a business together took a toll on their marriage and Al and Lee Ann divorced in 1982. Alfred later married Adela Kunzer in 1983, and shared 31 wonderful years together until her passing in 2014. They had an amazing love for each other, and were considered unstoppable with anything they set their heart and mind to.
Together, they opened Ventura’s Mexican Restaurant in November of 1984. Alfred worked countless days and hours over the next 34 years, making it the thriving success it is today. He loved his customers, and respected all the hard work of his employees whom he treated and thought of as family.
He often said he knew he was nothing without all of them in the equation. Customers recall him sitting at the round table by the big window enjoying a libation after a hard day of work, sharing stories, telling jokes and laughing with his friends and customers. He was a people person, and loved talking with and listening to others.
He truly enjoyed and looked forward to speaking with the many sales people who would call upon him for advertisement, or product sales throughout the years. He could easily relate to them, and respected how hard their job in sales was. Alfred endured numerous heart issues and was eventually in need of a heart transplant, a gift of life he received in January 1998 at MCO (UTMC).
He lived with this amazing gift for the next 21 years! He and his wife established the Adela and Alfred Mundt Professorship in Transplantation Cardiology Fund (#1301795) which supports research and educational programs in transplantation cardiology to advance diagnosis procedures, discover new treatment options and find a cure for cardiovascular diseases. They were proud to give back to the community and the hospital they attributed to saving his life.
He enjoyed traveling and shared many adventurous trips through the years with his wife Adela, family and great friends, including Pete and Irma Petersen. They wanted to explore different countries and cultures, and to make memories together as a family. He was a proud, and active member of the Toledo Schwaben Verein, the German- American Festival Society, and Greater Beneficial Union of Pittsburg.
He loved his many years of volunteering at the GAF, running one of the beer bars, and helping wherever needed since the festivals early years. Alfred always looked forward to Friday night dinner with his German friends, a tradition that held strong for over 30 years. They would take turns choosing the restaurant for the week, and when it was his turn, his favorite choice was Eddie Lee’s, a place where he and Adela had many celebrations through the years.
He loved this country and, in 2009, took his oath to become a citizen of the United States, something he was very proud of. Alfred is survived by his children, Valerie (Mike) Scott, Holland, OH, Karin (Jeffrey) Pigott, Wyandotte, MI, Jennifer (Edward) Linne, Ypsilanti, MI and Fred (Kristie) Mundt of Point Place, OH. He had 8 Grandchildren whom he was extremely proud of, and loved very much: Kristen Scott, Jonathan Pigott, Nicholas Pigott, Devon Linne, Lacey Linne, Rylie Mundt and Jens Mundt.
He is also survived by Jeanie Kunzer and her son Michael Kunzer, whom he loved and thought of as family. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Karin Jansen, his loving wife Adela, grandson Brian Scott and his first wife, Lee Ann Labadie Mundt. The family extends a special thanks to Sue Mason, who helped with his care in our absence.
We will forever be grateful for your compassion and care of our father. Visitation will be held at Reeb Funeral Home located at 5712 Main St, in Sylvania on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 from 2:00pm-7:00pm. A short prayer service will be held at 7:00pm, followed by an opportunity for family and friends to share their memories of Al.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to Life Connections of Ohio, 3661 Briarfield Blvd Suite 105, Maumee, OH 43537 or the Adela and Alfred Mundt Professorship in Transplantation Cardiology Fund at UTMC (#1301795), payable to UT Foundation, 4510 Dorr St., MS #820, Toledo, OH 43615-4040.
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