Sue Munzer was born in Neosho, Missouri on July 6, 1939. During her high school years, she was elected as Honor Queen of Job’s daughter. Job’s daughter is a Masonic sponsored youth organization for girls aged 10 to 20 who are related to a Master Mason. It is the oldest of five Masonic-sponsored organizations for girls, dating from 1920 until now. The presiding officer of the Bethel is called the Honored Queen, which the members of her Bethel elected her as. After high school, Munzer married Richard Martin following their graduation. Shortly after, Munzer and Martin moved to New Jersey, because Martin was in the Navy. While in New Jersey, Munzer’s first daughter was born, Kimberly Martin on February 16, 1959. Shortly after the Martin family moved back to Topeka, Kansas from New Jersey, Martin and Munzer ultimately got divorced.

Munzer married her true soul mate, Don Munzer on February 14, 1987. Soon after, the couple moved down to Bentonville, Arkansas. While in Bentonville, Sue worked for the Benton County Sheriff Andy Lee for about 13 years. Sadly, on February 3, 2000, Don passed away from cancer and she became a widow. She then moved to Kansas in the summer of 2001 to be closer to her daughters. Munzer came to work at the academy in 2002. She would always say how much she loved working with the kids and faculty members. Faculty members, like Marion Gould, Interim Head of School, and Michelle Buckles reflected on how Munzer affected their lives and how they came to know her while she worked at the Academy. Gould said she came to know Munzer when she became Upper School Administrative Assistant. Gould continued to say that what she truly loved about Munzer was the way she touched everyone’s life in such an enjoyable way. “There are people in this life who stand out from the others—who look for the best in everything and everyone, who teach us lessons without speaking a word, who bring a richness to each day by their mere existence. Sue Munzer was one of those rare gems that I was fortunate to know and that made the Academy a better place for us all.” Buckles, also reflected on how she came to know Munzer while she was at the Academy. “I don’t know exactly when I came to know Sue, but I do know when I saw her as the caring, gentle person that she was. It was a few years ago on Dr. Seuss day, Sue dressed up as The Cat in the Hat. She just had this thing about her and she just loved being around the students. Last summer though, Munzer started having pain in her hands and legs. She went to Olathe Medical Center on July 21st and four days later she was paralyzed. She was diagnosed with Paraneoplastic Syndrome, which is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. She tried very hard to fight her illness. “She kept talking about coming back to work at the academy”, said Kimberly Martin “she was looking forward to it”.

“My mom loved to do many things, said Martin. “She loved to sew, garden and golf. She also loved to travel and went to: Germany, England, France, Italy, Spain, Alaska, Mexico, and many places in the Caribbean."