Mynie Lou Griffith

Mynie Lou (Mundhenke) Griffith was born July 29, 1937 in Great Bend, Kansas to Merle and Clella (Fisher) Mundhenke of Lewis, Kansas.  Mynie Lou was the first child of Merle and Clella and was named for both of her grandmothers - Minnie (Malin) Mundhenke and Lula (Parker) Fisher. The family lived on the Mundhenke family farm near Lewis.

Mynie Lou attended school in Lewis and graduated from Lewis High School in 1955.  She then attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, earning a bachelor's degree in Home Economics in 1959.

Also attending Lewis schools during the same years as Mynie Lou was a fellow classmate named Billy Griffith.  After graduation from Lewis High school he attended Kansas University in Lawrence, KS but despite being at rival schools, the two managed to maintain a romantic relationship and married in 1959 in Lewis.

Mynie Lou and Bill’s first home was in Kansas City, where Mynie Lou taught Home Economics until Bill received an offer for employment at Humboldt National Bank in Humboldt, Kansas.  The couple moved to Humboldt where Mynie Lou was Administrator/Teacher at the Head Start Program.  Mynie Lou and Bill welcomed three children to their family in Humboldt - Melanie, Marita and Steven.  In 1970, the family moved to Oakley, where Bill became President of the Farmers State Bank. In Oakley, they added one more child to their family when Brian was born in 1972.

Although raising her family was her first priority, Mynie Lou found many ways to combine her passion for food and cooking with her education background and a willingness to be actively involved in her community.  She created and taught cooking and baking classes in her home and found joy inspiring others to love cooking.  Many summers found her traveling the state to lead continuing education courses for the Kansas School Food Service program.  As a huge supporter of 4-H, Mynie Lou was a food project leader for many years and helped to establish a new 4-H club in the county as well. She especially enjoyed serving as a foods judge for area county fairs and later at the Kansas State Fair. Mynie Lou cultivated many culinary interests within her own family and left a lasting legacy of favorite family recipes in the Griffith Family Cookbook which is treasured by her children and grandchildren.

Mynie Lou was an active member of the United Methodist Church, the Chapter EX PEO organization and served as the first female school board member of the Unified 274 School District.  As an organizer and leader, Mynie Lou led the effort to create and publish the first and second PEO Community Cookbooks, she helped establish the first local Daycare Center in Oakley, helped to develop and teach an annual Babysitting Clinic for young people and organized many fund-raising efforts for various community organizations through the years.

In 1986, Mynie Lou and Bill moved to Hutchinson, Kansas where she worked as the Dietary Manager of Food Services at Mennonite Friendship Manor in South Hutchinson.  The couple also owned and operated three Daylight Donut stores in the Hutchinson area for many years.  In 1999, after celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, Bill became ill and was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and passed away in 2002.

 After later retiring from the food service arena, Mynie Lou enjoyed several years as a volunteer docent at Strataca, the underground salt mines in Hutchinson, where she gave many a tour “down under” in the mines. Mynie Lou greatly surprised her family by adopting a kitten, Domino, that soon became a very beloved and constant companion for over 15 years.  In 2017, Mynie Lou moved to a retirement community in Wichita, near daughter, Marita, and family.  She suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease in her later years and died on October 6, 2023 at Wheat State Manor nursing home in Whitewater, Kansas.  

Proceeding her in death are her parents; husband Bill; and brother, Boyd Mundhenke. She is survived by her four children: Melanie (Jay) Sporer, Oakley; Marita (Mark) Soucie, Wichita; Steve (Tara) Griffith, Overland Park;  and Brian (Maura Davis) Griffith, Evergreen, CO.  Also, sisters, Loretta (Larry) Anderson, Wellington; Lorene (Jon) Frohling, Waukesha, WI; and sister-in-law, Nancy Mundhenke, Wichita.

Mynie Lou has nine grandchildren: Derek Soucie, Breckenridge, CO; Brett (Jill) Soucie, Wichita; Jaymi (Aaron)Thieman, Calhan, CO; Jantzen (Alec Onstad) Sporer, Oakley; Jackie (Macen) Shull, Colby; Jarrett Sporer, Manhattan; Sophie Zahn, Tessa Griffith and Campbell Griffith, Overland Park. Five great grandchildren include Eden Soucie, Nellie Soucie, Cannon Shull, Ledger Shull and Harlow Thieman.

A memorial service is planned for Thursday, October 19, 2023, 2 pm, at Cozine Life Event Center, 11500 E. 21st Street North in Wichita. Mynie Lou’s family invites you to join them at an informal gathering with refreshments following the service until 5pm at the Cozine Life Event Center. A private family burial will take place at a later time. Memorials may be made to the Kansas Humane Association of Wichita.