Obituary for Waltraud Marie Kunica
Wellesley, MA and Bar Harbor, ME
Waltraud Maria Kunica, a Wellesley resident for 57 years, passed away on Monday, April 4, 2022, at Birch Bay Village in Bar Harbor, Maine. She was 95 years old. Waltraud was born April 2, 1927, in Passau, Germany, the daughter of Rudolf and Olga (Brunner) Schiessl. Waltraud was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Serge Kunica, of Polish-Ukrainian descent.
During the years of WWII in Munich, Germany, young Waltraud, and her parents endured the cities’ devastation and other personal hardships. Waltraud married Serge on October 9, 1952. In 1954 Waltraud and Serge immigrated to the United States where Serge was offered a professional engineering position in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While still in Munich, Waltraud earned a teaching degree and briefly taught at a Gymnasium Schule. However, her passion was interior design which she expressed through creating an inviting and elegant home. Her proclivity for the creative arts spanned from painting to clothing design, to attending many theatrical productions, symphonies, and ballet performances. Her beloved husband accompanied her to many a ballet and even managed to stay awake for some of it.
Her father, Rudolf, who flew a biplane as a reconnaissance pilot during WWI, likely inspired Waltraud to pursue her dream of learning to fly. She successfully completed her solo flight and ground school, earning her private pilot’s license in 1966. Waltraud was a lifelong member of the international women pilot’s organization, the Ninety-Nines. In 1972, she initiated a flying club at the Wellesley Senior High School.
Waltraud also delighted in actively participating in the Wellesley Assemblies, Chromatic Club, World Affairs Council, and Wellesley Tennis Association’s Sunday round robin tennis tournaments.
Waltraud and Serge were avid travelers, the highlight being a chartered circumnavigation of the globe organized by the MIT Alumni Association.
Waltraud is survived by her daughters, Doris (Kunica) Wright and her husband Bill Wright, of Bar Harbor, Maine; Enora (Kunica) Rogers and her husband Kevin Rogers of Yokosuka, Japan; grandchildren Sydney Wright of New York, NY; Kyle Rogers, of Tulsa, OK and Sean Rogers of Stillwater, OK; nephew George Egler of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
A private graveside service will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com
Waltraud Maria Kunica, a Wellesley resident for 57 years, passed away on Monday, April 4, 2022, at Birch Bay Village in Bar Harbor, Maine. She was 95 years old. Waltraud was born April 2, 1927, in Passau, Germany, the daughter of Rudolf and Olga (Brunner) Schiessl. Waltraud was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Serge Kunica, of Polish-Ukrainian descent.
During the years of WWII in Munich, Germany, young Waltraud, and her parents endured the cities’ devastation and other personal hardships. Waltraud married Serge on October 9, 1952. In 1954 Waltraud and Serge immigrated to the United States where Serge was offered a professional engineering position in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While still in Munich, Waltraud earned a teaching degree and briefly taught at a Gymnasium Schule. However, her passion was interior design which she expressed through creating an inviting and elegant home. Her proclivity for the creative arts spanned from painting to clothing design, to attending many theatrical productions, symphonies, and ballet performances. Her beloved husband accompanied her to many a ballet and even managed to stay awake for some of it.
Her father, Rudolf, who flew a biplane as a reconnaissance pilot during WWI, likely inspired Waltraud to pursue her dream of learning to fly. She successfully completed her solo flight and ground school, earning her private pilot’s license in 1966. Waltraud was a lifelong member of the international women pilot’s organization, the Ninety-Nines. In 1972, she initiated a flying club at the Wellesley Senior High School.
Waltraud also delighted in actively participating in the Wellesley Assemblies, Chromatic Club, World Affairs Council, and Wellesley Tennis Association’s Sunday round robin tennis tournaments.
Waltraud and Serge were avid travelers, the highlight being a chartered circumnavigation of the globe organized by the MIT Alumni Association.
Waltraud is survived by her daughters, Doris (Kunica) Wright and her husband Bill Wright, of Bar Harbor, Maine; Enora (Kunica) Rogers and her husband Kevin Rogers of Yokosuka, Japan; grandchildren Sydney Wright of New York, NY; Kyle Rogers, of Tulsa, OK and Sean Rogers of Stillwater, OK; nephew George Egler of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
A private graveside service will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com