[image 1]Sadly, on Monday, Feb. 17, Miguel R. Munoz (Mike Sr.) passed away. NVC President Jackie Claunch emailed the NVC community on that same day with the tragic news.
“It is with tears of sadness that I write to inform you that Miguel Muñoz, NVC Economics faculty member, passed away this morning,” said Jackie. “I fondly recall my interview with him and the many times we chatted together. I never heard him say an unkind word to or about anyone.”
The surprise and sympathy messages from NVC also poured out on social media.
“I loved having Prof. Munoz, he was definitely a talented human being and will be greatly missed.” 
“He was one of the greatest professors that made a difference in my life. He will be missed. Thank you for making us laugh in class.”
“He was a great instructor and will always be apart of the journey to my degree.”
These are just some of the many quotes, comments and sympathy messages students, friends and colleagues left on the Facebook post about NVC Economics instructor Miguel R. Munoz's passing on Monday, Feb. 17. (Miguel's memorial Web page)
He was loved by not only his family and friends, but the many lives he touched in the classroom. The announcement about Miguel's passing was one of the most interactive posts on Facebook in the last several years.
Miguel started as an adjunct at NVC in the fall of 2002 and later became a full-time instructor to a tenured position as assistant professor of Economics. In 2007, a La reVista profile was done on him and his two children, who also were instructors at NVC – Mike R. Munoz Jr. and Linda Munoz Zehr (Linda no longer teaches at NVC). Mike Jr. is now an associate professor of Economics.
“You can talk about theory until the cows come home,” he said. “But it’s really world experience that becomes very important in education. That helps when you are trying to explain the theory behind what you are teaching.”
Miguel, a Vietnam veteran, earned two Purple Hearts from the U.S. Army and eventually became a McDonald's franchise operator of three restaurants. He said in the 2007 La reVista profile that having that McDonald's knowledge helped to explain complex business theory to his students.
Miguel also served as a Vet to Vet Advocate to current military and former military students at NVC.