Obituaries

Lee Arthur Munson

Photo of Lee Arthur Munson
LEE ARTHUR MUNSON was born on April 15, 1937, the eldest of three children, to an American father, A.L. Munson, and a Canadian mother, Anna Marie Carr, in Claresholm, Alberta, Canada. When he was two years old, the family moved to the orchard country of South Miami, Dade County, Fla. Here he learned to fish in all of Florida's waters. He was educated in the South Miami school system, vying for academic honors with his neighbor and schoolmate Janet Reno, future U.S. Attorney General. His family moved to Booneville, Ark., in hopes of medical help at the sanatorium for his mother's asthmatic heart condition. His mother died on Mother's Day when he was 15, after which he was invited into the home of the then Chancery Judge (later Federal Judge) Paul X. Williams, his wife Beth, and their five children. Here he spent several happy years and enjoyed an enduring friendship with the family all his life. He worked at many jobs to achieve his education, graduating from Booneville High School in 1956, Arkansas Tech University in 1963, and the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1967. He was married on August 23, 1963, to Alice Ann Fiser of Russellville. His legal career included Deputy Prosecuting Attorney under Richard Atkinson; Assistant Attorney General under Ray Thornton, where he represented the state medical, pharmacy and engineering boards; clerk for the Supreme Court of Arkansas under Justice Conley Byrd. He was 3 times elected Prosecuting Attorney for Pulaski and Perry Counties, Sixth Judicial District, from 1973-1978, and served 20 years as a Chancery Judge, Sixth Judicial District. He then was elected Municipal/District Judge and served from 1990 until his retirement in 2008. He is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Alice Ann, son Eric Munson and his wife Susie Douglas Munson, daughter Alissa Munson Coffield and her husband Matthew Coffield, and five grandchildren: Mary Grace Munson, Douglas Paul Munson, Stephen Lee Munson, Matthew Joshua Coffield and Jacob Christopher Coffield, all of Little Rock, his sister Judith Stewart of Fort Smith, and many loved nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Don R. Munson. Lee's life was marked by a passion for justice, an empathy for those who struggle in life, and a willingness to offer options to those who wanted to improve their lives. He made many friends in the legal and judicial system through the years. The Supreme Court of Arkansas recently awarded him the status of Attorney Emeritus for fifty or more years of "dedication and honorable service to the legal profession as a licensed attorney." Lee was an avid outdoorsmen who enjoyed hunting and fishing, especially in the company of his friends and family. He found peace and beauty in nature and saw God's hand in the creation of the physical world. A service will be held Tuesday, Jan. 2, at 3 p.m., St. James United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts of remembrance be sent to the Fraternal Order of Police (LRFOP) Foundation, P.O. Box 3451, Little Rock, Ark., 72203, and to the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, 601 North University, Little Rock, Ark., 72205. To sign the online guest book, please visit www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.

Published January 1, 2018

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