Thomas Lowell Munkres

Thomas Lowell Munkres, April 28, 1943 – August 25, 2024

“Tommy” was born in Bend, Oregon to Walter Shirley and Leona Marie (Daoust) Munkres, joining brother David Gerald “Jerry”. Shirley Marie “Shirlye” and Dennis Kent “Deni” completed the family over  the next 6 years. Tom often reminisced about how pleasant and independent his life as a child in small- town Bend was. One of his favorite memories was summer times with grandparents Hector and Edna  Daoust at their home near the Crooked River in Prineville. His family moved to McMinnville while Tom was in elementary school, and later to Salem where he attended Parrish Junior High and graduated from North Salem High in 1961. His Daoust grandparents also moved to Salem and remained close to the kids, introducing them to summer jobs of picking beans and strawberries, as well as activities that were more fun!

During high school, Tom ran cross-country, sang in the choir, excelled at mathematics, and attended science and engineering summer programs at Oregon State University, returning there to earn a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1965. There he met Laura Miller from Crane, OR. They married in March 1964, launching a 60+ year journey together. That journey led to Missoula and the University of Montana, where Tom earned a Master of Mathematics degree.

Tom and Laura then moved to Eugene where he studied advanced mathematics at the University of Oregon and have been Eugene residents ever since. They happily welcomed their son Andrew in November 1983. Most memorable adventures included Hawaiian vacations spanning three decades when family members lived on Maui and Kauai, bicycling in Belgium, Germany, Italy and France in 1982, and five weeks of exploring Scotland in 1999. 

Tom completed a second Bachelor’s degree, in Computer Science, which led to a 20-year career as an Information Technology Specialist for the Oregon Judicial Department, Lane County. After retiring in 2005, Tom began running competitively, including twice completing the Eugene Marathon. Some of his favorite events were the Scandia Run in Junction City, the Pear Blossom in Medford, the Shamrock in Portland, and November’s Run to Stay Warm. His favorite distances were 10K and half-marathon, and he won or placed in his age group many times.

By the end of 2010 running injuries took their toll and Tom turned to bicycling, and described his life as idyllic, exploring much of Lane County from the Coburg Hills to the Coast Range. He enjoyed the riverfront paths, mountain trails, parks and scenic bikeways as well as concert venues, coffee shops, and brew pubs. Tom loved classical music, comic strips, logic and memory-based computer games, and sharing family history. His nephew recounts fond memories of bike rides around Eugene, with Tom stopping by the wetlands to describe details of the waterfowl, and he carries with him the Norwegian family tree that Thomas gave him. Thomas lived his retirement fully, often saying it was “perfect” and that he got to do everything he wanted to.

Despite a diagnosis of prostate cancer in early 2023, Thomas remained active until his last few months, going for walks and enjoying time at his computer. He was a very loving and thoughtful person whose perspective was critical to those around him. He will be deeply missed but remembered forever, with love and a lifetime of good memories. He is survived by Laura and Andrew, brother David and his son Peter Gruen, sister Shirlye (Ted) Sonsteby and their daughters Annie Sonsteby and Tara (Joe) Price, uncle and aunt Dick and Donna Daoust, cousins of several generations.

At Thomas’s request, there will be no ceremony or gathering. Please honor him in your own way.