Obituary of Mary Terese Muenzer

A link to the livestream of the events here are your links:  10am service, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7QMPJM7kM0

For the interment at 12pm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pZ1o1TLCBw

Mary Terese (Tee) Muenzer, 93, of Herndon, VA formerly of Reston, VA, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2020.  She is survived by her children Mark (Sue) Khan, Kamran (Linda) Khan, Chris Khan, Farah (Mark) Shanock and Kevin (Alana Roberts) Khan, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, sister Madonna Sue Douglas and brother Jack (Sandy) Muenzer. Tee is predeceased by brothers Daniel R. Muenzer and Richard F. Muenzer.

Tee was born on March 24, 1927, in Toledo, Ohio, to Dorothy (nee Miller) and Arnold A. Muenzer, the oldest of five.  Tee described her early childhood as idyllic, blessed by loving parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins.  She always spoke of how madly-in-love her parents were and would vividly recall her parents singing around the piano and family vacations to Burt Lake, MI (and later, Grand Marais, MI) where she developed her love of fishing.  Her childhood was cut short by the death of her mother in 1941, after a two-year battle at home with TB.  Tee and her sister were placed in an orphanage for 2 years, her brothers went elsewhere.  Her father reunited the family and Tee was put in charge of running the household and raising her siblings.  Tee graduated high school from Notre Dame Academy, as class Valedictorian.  In her senior year Tee discovered her lifelong love of theater, performing in her high school senior year play. Very bright, Tee was offered a four-year scholarship to Mary Manse College in Toledo, Ohio.  Instead, Tee continued to care for her siblings and to run her father's household, even keeping his books.  Then, hearing the call of the big city, Tee moved to Chicago, in her early twenties. She lived in a women's dormitory, attended night classes at Loyola University and worked part-time. There, Tee was first exposed to Jazz, live opera, cultural institutions and more.  After a few years, she moved to Washington, DC to be near her Irish-twin brother, Dick who graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.  Tee had the desire to travel and see the world, so she joined the foreign service at the age of 25.  Her first and only post, a hardship location, was to the US Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan as a clerk/typist where she met and married Saeed Khan.  She returned to Washington, DC and Saeed immigrated 8 months later.  They had five children.  Saeed had a career with the U.S. State Department, Office of Protocol and was chief of Protocol at the World's Fairs from 1962 to 1968, Seattle, WA; New York, NY; Montreal, Canada and San Antonio, TX. Tee and their children accompanied him to these posts.  In 1969, the family returned to Arlington, VA, and the marriage ended.  Tee returned to working for the government from 1970 to 1989, the last ten years proudly contributing to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, under the Executive Branch.  After retiring in 1989, Tee relocated to Southern, CA for a few years, then to Williamsburg and Jamestown, VA where she worked as a docent at several historic sites.  In 1999, she returned to Northern VA to be closer to three of her sons, settling in Reston, then Vienna, Fairfax and Herndon.   An avid reader and news junkie, she could watch the news, especially political news, all day and discuss current events all night.   A wonderful conversationalist, she easily struck up conversations with strangers and quickly knew their life histories.  A stunningly beautiful woman, stylish and impeccably well-dressed, she always took pride in her appearance.  As her health greatly declined these past five years, Tee maintained her fighting spirit to the very end.  May Tee rest in eternal peace.

Funeral Mass will be held at St. Veronica Catholic Church, Chantilly, VA on April 24, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.  The Interment service immediately follows at Fairfax Memorial Park Cemetery, Fairfax, VA.  They will be live-streamed to YouTube and the web links are:   TBD and TBD.

In lieu of flowers, donations sent to the American Lung Association will be greatly appreciated.