Met Area Golf Community Mourns loss of Howie Munck
Obituary courtesy of Met Golf Writers Association
January 30, 2024 -- Hans Howard Melvin “Howie” Munck, a resident of Airmont, N.Y., in Rockland County and a member of the Met Golf Writers for more than 40 years, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 26, 2024. He was 86.
Howie was regarded as a kind, helpful, consummate gentleman, with a quick, easy-going smile, a passion and respect for the game of golf, and a player who was particularly deft at extricating his golf ball from sand traps, should that woeful fate ever befall him. He was readily open to helping others in need, both on and off the course, and his passing came as a shock to the many friends and associates he had acquired over the years.
Born to Soren and Elizabeth Munck, parents of Dutch descent, on November 17, 1937, in South Kortright, NY --- a Delaware County hamlet in the Catskills located about 11 miles east/northeast of the Village of Delhi --- Howie was a founding member of the MGWA’s Quill & Tee Golf Club; former member of the Association’s Board of Directors for more than 16 years (1998-2014) and the group’s Activities Chairman for 12-plus seasons (2002-2014). For nearly 30 years (1978-2007) he was a golf columnist and correspondent for the Rockland Journal News and he was a Field Team member for the Metropolitan Golf Association for 20 years (1994-2013).
Howie had a second residence in Nags Head, NC, where he was an active member of Nags Head Golf Links. For many years, he served on the Golf Committee overseeing the Town of Ramapo’s Spook Rock Golf Course. He was considered one of the MGWA’s experts on the Rules of Golf.
“Howie brightened every room he entered… always positive, always smiling and he always had a genuine interest in everyone around him,” said MGWA President Brian Crowell. “From an MGWA perspective, he was the perfect ambassador. Howie had such a strong appreciation for the camaraderie and the community of golf, and our Association. We’ve all lost a dear friend.”
As a Field Team member for the MGA, Howie was involved in tournament course set-up, starting, ranger duties, scoring, rules decisions and more for both MGA and USGA-affiliated events. He also served in a similar capacity for the Westchester Seniors Golf Association and the Long Island Seniors Golf Association.
As an amateur golfer, Howie avidly competed in and, on occasion, won various titles in tournaments at the club, association and regional level, including both the Met area and in the Carolinas. He twice, with a partner, represented the MGWA’s Quill & Tee GC in the MGA’s Met Net (now the MGA Four Ball) event (2002, 2017); tied for first in 2015 in the Q&TGC’s “B” Flight club championship; and, in 2016, his “Choking Dogs” foursome won the MGWA Team Shootout.
Howie Munck was a full-time educator before retiring professionally. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education in 1960 from the State University at Albany, NY, and a Master’s in Education in 1970 from Montclair (NJ) State University. He taught at and was the chairman of the Business Department at Suffern (NY) High School for more than 30 years.
In 1963, Howie married Joan (nee Drumheller) Munck, a loving, kind and outgoing wife and mother who, in 2017, preceded Howie in death. Together in their golfing prime, they each carried single digit golf handicaps. The couple loved to golf together, travel, dine out and visit with friends and family.
Howie is survived by his son Lawrence (wife Vicky) and daughter Jennifer (husband Robert) Anderson, along with four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Howie was predeceased by two brothers, Harris and Peter.
Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home in Suffern, NY, is handling arrangements. A private cremation is scheduled. A date and location for a Celebration of Life service, to be held in early February, will be announced soon, along with a suggestion for any memorial donations.