Frank Forrest Munshower

Frank Forrest Munshower died at the family home on August 29 of neuroendocrine cancer. He was born June 2, 1933 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the second of the five children of (William) Glenn and Katherine (Ashcraft) Munshower. His childhood was spent hunting and fishing and it fostered a lifelong love of the outdoors and fascination with nature. He married Eileen Doherty in 1960. After teaching science at Washington High School for eight years, the couple moved with their five children to Missoula, Montana, where he received his PhD in plant physiology from the University of Montana in 1972. The family then moved to Bozeman, Montana where they found the people and lifestyle so compatible that they made it their true home.



Frank enjoyed his career at Montana State University, where he became head of the Reclamation Research Unit. He helped establish both an undergraduate program and the first Master’s Degree program in Land Rehabilitation in the United States. He was an internationally recognized ecologist, and expert in restoration of mine sites, and literally wrote the textbook for advanced studies in the field. With Scott Fisher, he began the Billings Symposium on Surface Mining in 1981. After his 1996 retirement, he consulted internationally on restoration of environmental degradation.



Frank and Eileen travelled a great deal. They enjoyed camping, birding, fishing, and reading. At home he was active in his church and with library volunteer work. He also worked tirelessly in his large gardens, and he enjoyed hunting, efforts to eradicate nonnative plants, and never-ending battles with magpies.



Frank is survived by his wife of 55 years, Eileen. He is also survived by his five children and their spouses: Kathleen and Anthony Forte, Jane and Steve VerValin, Teresa and Karl Miller, Frank and Susan Munshower, and Eric and Judy Munshower. He leaves 14 grandchildren: Joseph, Shaleen, Emmett, Juliana, Kellen, Ellen, Maxim, Artem, Teresa, Jayne, Elena, Nathan, Audrey, and Alison. He is survived by his siblings: Fr. William Glenn Munshower, Anne and Richard Delaney, John and Marcia Munshower, and Christine Munshower, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.



The family would like to thank Dr. Kenneth May and the Bozeman Deaconess Cancer Center for their excellent care of Frank. They would also like to acknowledge the friends, neighbors, and parishioners who made it possible to so enjoy a last year together.



Friends and family are invited to share memories at the wake which will be held at Dahl Funeral Home on Friday, September 4th beginning at 7:00 PM. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Rosary Church on Saturday, September 5th at 11:00 AM.



Memorials may be made to the Munshower Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at St. John’s University, P.O. Box 7222, Collegeville, MN, 56321-7222, or the Frank F. Munshower Honorary Scholarship in Land Reclamation at Montana State University, P.O. Box 172750, Bozeman, MT, 59717-2750. Those who feel capable are encouraged to uproot a nonnative, invasive plant (roots intact!) in Frank’s memory.