Sylvia V. Muñiz DDS

Sylvia V. Muñiz, DDS Devoted loving wife and mother, proud adoring grandmother and great-grandmother. Sylvia V. Muñiz, 103, of Kankakee Illinois, sadly left us on April 30, 2024, while at Westwood Riverside Senior Life Communities, Memory Care, in Kankakee. Sylvia was born on March 25, 1921, in Jiguaní, Cuba. In 1944 she graduated from dental school from the University of Havana, Cuba. In 1949 she came to the United States to start a new life and career in New York City. There, she met her husband Cayetano Muñiz, a physician from Cuba, and they were married on December 17, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in NYC. Together they made their life and raised their family. When her husband, a captain in the United States Army, was stationed in Germany, Sylvia followed him and lived there during his deployment. Together, they had three children, her greatest joy. She ultimately changed her profession (by choice), from dentist, to devoted wife and mother. They lived for a time in New York City and then Chicago, Illinois before moving to Deerfield, Illinois to raise their young family. Finally, her husband’s career brought them to Kankakee, Illinois. When her children were older, she worked for St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee and later at Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee until her retirement. She retired to Miami, Florida in 1992 and lived happily with her husband until his passing in 2004. Shortly after, she returned to Kankakee to be close to family. Sylvia dedicated her life to her family and to the service of others. She was a devoted member of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Kankakee. She enjoyed spending time with her family and her beloved friends. She was an avid reader, artist, poet, and music lover. She loved to play piano, cook and knit and was always up for a game of dominoes! Sylvia was a diehard Cubs fan. Sylvia is survived by her three children, Richard (Chriss Kendall) Muniz and Magda (Keith) Galloway and Deborah Muniz (Dennis Reardanz). She has eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She would often and affectionately refer to her family as “my people.” She was preceded in death by her husband, Cayetano Muñiz, her sister, Olinda Lapinel and her brother, Paul Lapinel. Sylvia lived a long, and beautiful life, was very much loved, and will be greatly missed. A special thanks to all those who provided such good care of her at Westwood Riverside Senior Life Communities and Memory Care and to members of Uplifted Care and Hospice. Visitation will be held 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024 at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home in Kankakee. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024 at St. John Paul II West Campus in Kankakee. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Uplifted Care.

Sylvia V. Muñiz DDS

March 25, 1921 - April 30, 2024