Michael E. Moyna's Obituary
Michael Moyna, age 78, passed away in Harlingen, TX on November 28, 2023.
A funeral mass celebrating his life will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 9 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 330 First Street SW, Elkader, IA. Visitation with the family will be at the church beginning at 9:30 AM. The service can be live-streamed either at www.vibrantcatholic.com or the Facebook page for St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Interment will be at the St. Joseph Cemetery, in Elkader, IA at a later time.
Born in Elkader, IA on February 6, 1945, Mike began working for the family company, C.J. Moyna and Sons at a young age. He graduated from Elkader High School and then earned a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
Mike lived in Waterloo, IA for a number of years during which time he and then wife Sue had two boys, Patrick and Brian. Mike taught speech and drama at Columbus High School and was often seen in the Waterloo Community Playhouse, at one point even cast into a play with Patrick.
Mike left Columbus to work for PCI at the Black Hawk County landfill before moving on to Black Hawk County road maintenance where he was in charge, among other things, of all the snow plowing operations. This may help explain why he moved where he wouldn't have to see snow.
In 1986, Mike moved to Florida, teaching at Cooper City High School, in a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale. There he met Kathy, who would become his wife in 1994. Their daughter, Michelle, was born in Florida.
Mike taught speech, debate and drama, once again directing school plays. After earning a second Master's Degree in Library Science from Florida State University, Mike left the classroom to become a media specialist. He retired in 2012, becoming an active volunteer at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, the couple's parish.
In 2016, Mike and Kathy, now both retired, moved to Weslaco, TX. Mike took up woodworking, making furniture, and other hand-crafted items. He was extremely active in their community, volunteering both his time and talents.
Mike and Kathy loved to travel, whether it was in their camper, on a cruise ship, or driving around Europe. He was very proud to have traveled to all fifty states, along the way, creating memories with all of his children. He and Kathy took many international trips, visiting dozens of foreign countries.
Mike's family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the staff of Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, TX, for their dedication and the excellent care they provided to Mike during his brief illness. Their compassion was outstanding.
Surviving are his wife, Kathy, his three children, Patrick (Kimberly) of Nixa, MO, Brian of Waterloo, IA, and Michelle of New York, NY, and his grandson Denver of Waterloo, IA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil Moyna and Katherine (Moyna) McCormick and his siblings, Patricia Koehn, John Moyna, and Jerry Moyna.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity or local food bank to help families in need during this holiday season.
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