Michael L. Muenich

Michael “Mike” L. Muenich, age 76, of St. John, Indiana passed away at home on June 28, 2022. He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Debra (née Terry), children Meredith (Joel) Naughgle, Miranda (Bryan) McCoy, and Michael "Gus" (Rebecca) Muenich, and seven grandchildren - Alice, Matilda, Christopher, Vivian, Jack, Colin, and Harold. He was preceded in death by his mother Alice (née Brady) and father Harold.

Mike’s family settled in Hammond in the 1840s. Mike was born in 1946 and attended Dyer Central High School, where he participated in activities including manager of football, basketball, and baseball, Hoosier Boys State, and yearbook editor. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1968 and Valparaiso Law School in 1971.

Mike began practicing law with Albert Hand in 1971 and became partner in Hand, Muenich & Wilk in 1973. He was attorney for the Town of Dyer and the St. John Sanitary and Waterworks Districts for many years. In 2013, he became Of Counsel with Austgen Kuiper Jasaitis P.C. Mike was admitted to practice in Indiana, the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Claims and the United States Supreme Court.

Mike volunteered with the St. John Fire Department as a firefighter/ EMT-A, and he retired as a Division Chief after 50 years of service. He graduated from the National Fire Academy Incident Command Course and held numerous Indiana state fire certifications. He was a state fire instructor and was named IFIA State Instructor of the Year in 1988.

In 1991, Mike co-founded Fire Service, Inc. a distributor and provider of maintenance, repair and refurbishment for fire, ambulance, and police emergency equipment serving Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Mike was also a land developer and served as the Designer/Project Manager for the St. John Training Center (now the Department of Homeland Security Northwest Indiana District 1 training facility) and Project Manager of St. John the Evangelist Church and the Shrine of Christ’s Passion. In 2019, he began developing The Continental subdivision at the site of his family home in St. John.

Although he had many professional and volunteer accomplishments, Mike always made time for his family. He was the biggest fan of his children and grandchildren’s many activities. He loved traveling with his wife and family, taking them on sunset cruises on Cedar Lake, and just spending a day together in their gardens.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John Volunteer Fire Department Inc, St. John the Evangelist Parish Peace & Justice Fund, or hospice of your choice.

Visitation will be Friday, July 8, 3:00 PM-8:00 PM, at Fagen-Miller Funeral Home in St. John. There will be a prayer service at 6:00 PM, and an IVFA service at 7:00 PM.  The funeral mass will be Saturday, July 9, 10:00 AM, at St. John the Evangelist Church. Mike will be laid to rest at Oak Hill Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to a celebration of life at Teibel’s Restaurant at 2:00 PM.

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