Muriel Kuhn Mead:

Muriel K. Mead of Bluefield, VA passed away from natural causes on February 16, 2023. She was born Muriel Kuhn in Wheeling, WV on May 7, 1922, the only child of Edward and Aurora Kuhn. Following her 96 ^th birthday, in 2018, she began receiving hospice care in her home in Bluefield, VA. On her passing she had lived to be 100 years old.

Much of her childhood was spent in New York City. Raised in Brooklyn near Prospect Park she was a graduate of St. Erasmus High School on Flatbush Avenue. At the outbreak of WWII when many of the young men of the city left to serve in the military, Muriel became an ice skating instructor at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. After the war, she moved back to her birth place in Wheeling, West Virginia. Her memories of Wheeling seemed to focus on three prominent things; the memories of her many relatives there, Oglebay Park and meeting her future husband, Alfred Caldwell Mead.

Muriel and Alfred, her husband of 41 years, raised their two sons near Huntington, WV. Both boys graduated from Barboursville High School. Muriel was a stay-at-home mother and community volunteer. She served in the local school PTA, was an adult leader in the Cub Scouts and rose to the position of Coordinator of Guilds at Trinity Episcopal Church in Huntington. After the boys were raised, Muriel became active in the Charleston area ice skating club.

The loss of their younger son, Edward or Eddie, to a 1977 airplane crash, led to several years of a "snow bird" routine allowing her and her husband, Alfred, to see more of their two grandchildren in Florida. Even after Alfred's death in 1989, Muriel was able to continue visiting Florida for several more years.

In 1995, Muriel relocated her primary residence from Huntington to Bluefield, VA. This placed her closer to her surviving older son, Alfred, Jr. or Art and daughter-in-law, Marsha. There, Muriel maintained membership in the Bluefield Elks Lodge in memory of her father who was a member of the Wheeling, WV Elks Lodge many years ago. Her closest friendships in Bluefield, VA were made through the Golden Age Club in Bluefield, WV and her affiliation with St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Bluefield, VA, both of which have since closed.

Many who met Muriel commented on how delightful she was. Others noted her generosity. Her grandchildren knew her as their loving and devoted grandmother. She was a fun-loving friend to all. As a child, her father called her a Pollyanna. In her final years, care givers commented on her sense of humor. She was always a great animal lover; from her Weimaraner dogs onto her cockatoo, then her cat in her later years, and her love of horses. She was never without at least one pet. Her loss leaves a gaping hole in the family, all of whom experienced her love and devotion.

Muriel was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Aurora, her husband, Alfred, her younger of two children, Edward or Eddie, and her daughter-in-law, Marsha.

She is survived by; a son, Alfred C. Mead, Jr. or Art of Bluefield, VA, three grandchildren; Laura Marie Mead Spaulding (Matt) and John Edward Mead of Florida, and Laura Catherine Mead Aylor (Josh) of Christiansburg, VA, four great grandchildren; Josiah Davis Aylor and Alexander Mead Aylor of Christiansburg, VA., Lilly Ann-Marie Spaulding and Micah Edward Spaulding of Florida, and daughter-in-law, Karen Mead Grider of Florida (Eddie's widow).

Step grandchildren are; Rachel A. Collins (Chris) of Gallatin, TN. and Matthew J. Archer of Poquoson, VA. Step great grandchildren are; Madeline Collins and Logan Collins of Gallatin, TN. Madison Archer, Hayden Archer and Gavin Archer of Poquoson, VA.

Services will be Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 2:00PM at Dudley Memorial Mortuary in Bluefield, VA with visitation starting at 1:00PM.

Burial, next to her husband, mother and younger son, will be at Ridgelawn Memorial Park in Barboursville, WV on the following Tuesday, February 28 ^th at 2:00PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to;

The Episcopal Boys Home of Virginia

414 Boys Home Road

Covington, VA 24426