Donald J. Munson

Donald J. Munson, beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, friend, and #1 fan returned back to the loving arms of his sweetheart in Heaven on April 5th, 2025 at the age of 94.

Don was born on May 10th 1930 in Los Angeles, California to Silas and Sarah Irene Munson. He spent the first 17 years of his life there, until his family relocated to a very small town outside of Bryce Canyon, Tropic, Utah. The move from a big city to such a small town was a significant change, but in true Don fashion, he made the best of it. It was there he met his soulmate, a sweet girl named Dixie, from a neighboring town. They quickly fell in love and married on June 3, 1950 in the St. George Utah temple. Soon after getting married, they relocated to Hawthorne, Nevada where they started their family. Don worked for the government in Nevada, then relocated to Salt Lake City to work for the Department of Defense. After raising their kids Donell, Debra, Kurt and Kris they enjoyed splitting time between Salt Lake and St. George as snowbirds. His children have fond memories of him as their father, one notorious memory was Don biting the top swirl off of their ice cream cones before handing them over to them in the backseat. He had a kind personality but liked to tease.

Don was talented and multi-faceted. He was a great guitar player, often leading the family in spontaneous sing alongs. He loved music and passed that love onto his family. He loved to camp and travel, and was a skilled golfer, bowler, and fisherman. Simply put, Don liked to stay busy and enjoy life to the fullest. He was an avid sports fan, and he’d often make late night phone calls to discuss the Utes or Jazz game scores. After retirement, you’d usually find Don and Dixie doing something together- whether that be golfing, exploring with their beloved Trackers and Kickers group, or playing a good game of cards. If you had a chance to be on Don’s team in hand and foot, you were almost always guaranteed a win. He had a friendly but competitive spirit, and you’d never find him letting the grandkids win, they had to earn it. Over the past 15-20 years, Don attended almost every single softball game of his son in law and grandson. The team was built of family and friends, and he became the team’s #1 fan, earned his own customized jersey, and was a bright spot to so many who saw him there. You would often find many small children sitting by grandpa or on his lap at the ballpark. As someone recently said, “he was EVERYONE’S grandpa.”

Family meant the world to Don, and he’d always do his best to support his family in all they did. He could often be found at grandchildren’s events, cheering them on.

Don is survived by his children , Donell Marquessa, Debra Susan Hunt, Donald Kurtis Munson (Lori), Dayna Kristi Tanner (Kenyon), 8 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. Preceded in death by his sweetheart Dixie, his parents and siblings.

We will miss you but are overjoyed at the reunion you must be having on the other side with many loved ones.

Don’s family would like to think the staff at Spring Gardens as well as his hospice team and the many doctors and nurses who took such good care of him and made his transition comfortable.

Funeral Services for Don will be on Saturday April 12th, 2025 at the Memorial Holladay-Cottonwood Mortuary on 4670 South Highland Drive, Holladay, Utah. A public viewing starts at 11 am, with funeral services to follow at 12 pm. Interment to follow at Memorial Holladay Cemetery at 4900 S. Memory Lane, Holladay, Utah 84117.

To stream services: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89437257295