Jose “Joe” Muñiz, 83, of Smithville, WV, was born in Lares, Puerto Rico on May 14, 1940, to the late Jose Muñiz and the late Angela Gandarilla. He moved, with his family, to Cleveland, Ohio as a teenager. In 2006, he made Smithville, WV his new home. He passed away, surrounded by family, on June 23, 2023.
He was preceded in death by his brothers Jose Antonio, Enrique, Damian, Miguel, Ernesto, Raphael and dear sister Rosa. Jose was the beloved husband of Mildred. He is survived by his six children, Linda (Bobby Joe) Cottrill, Angie (Dave) Hardbarger, Tj Muñiz, Michelle (Chuck) McCroskey, Christopher (Kayla) Muñiz and Lisa (Josh) DeVaughn. His eleven grandchildren, Jessica (Dustin) Jeffrey, Aaron (Jackie) Hardbarger, Derek (Miranda) Hardbarger, Alicia (Matt) Schlarb, Olivia McCroskey, Hannah Muñiz, Malachi Muñiz, Parker Muñiz, Zeus Muñiz, Elizabeth Ludwig and Landon DeVaughn. And his eight great-grandchildren, Marissa, Chelsie, Caden, Salem, Caleb, Madilynn, Renee and Opal.
He loved being with family and sharing a good meal. He wouldn’t sit and eat until he knew everyone got their plate. He loved to be the host and server. He also loved classic cars, including his 1957 Chevy Bel Air. He loved chickens and gardening. He would always talk about his potatoes. His personality was larger than life and his kindness touched so many. He wanted to take care of everyone else, even when he was the one needing cared for.
He was a great man and a hard worker. He may not have made it past primary school, but he was very smart and able to figure things out. He learned the English language by listening to others. He could be silly and loved playing with kids. He never met a stranger and people seemed to have respect for him.
Being Puerto Rican in a small rural town made him almost famous. It seemed everyone knew “Papi” (or Popie as some May spell it). Others just called him Joe. Anyone that met him grew to love him. Everyone talked about his accent and how they loved to hear him talk.
Per his wishes, Jose will not be having a funeral service or viewing. Stump Funeral Home & Cremation, Inc., Grantsville, WV, provided the cremation services. There will be a celebration of his life held at the Smithville Community Building on Saturday, July 22, 2023 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.stumpfuneralhomes.com
