Ms. Josephine H. Kunz

Josephine Hanna Kunz, 85, of Spring Hill, FL, formerly of East Peoria, IL died at 5:05 PM on August 29, 2018 at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, FL. Josephine loved delicious Lebanese food and dessert. She especially enjoyed cooking with her daughters and teaching them all about her favorite Lebanese foods. An avid Lebanese coffee drinker she not only favored the taste but looked forward to drinking it from her beautiful Romeo and Juliet demitasse cups, and of course her cup had to be filled to the top. Josephine always saw her glass as full; not half but to the top full! Her love of life was evident in her favorite sayings “Happy time” and “Happy face.” True to her words she always shined and loved to dress up and sparkle. She wanted everyone to put forward the best version of themselves. If you looked great, she believed you would feel great too, no matter the circumstances. She hoped to pass on this tenet to her daughters. Who when they weren’t dressed “to the nines” when going out, she would say “You’re wearing that?”; giving them that look... quickly motivating them to change to suit her liking. She wanted their outside appearance to reflect the beauty she knew was inside of each of them. Josephine loved her whole family with all her heart. Born on February 10, 1933 in Lebanon to Hanna and Tamam (Al Azar) Manna. She was the oldest of three sisters who lost their father at an early age and worked alongside her mother and sisters in their own laundromat to provide for the family. When it came to her own children she put them before herself working multiple jobs to provide a good life for them. Having two daughters many would have struggled to treat each equally but she wanted them to know that she loved them both the same and would go so far as to sew identical clothing for them. A sweet amazing Mother she raised her two daughters to be loving, kind and generous. Josephine’s work ethic was unparalleled. She worked at both OSF and Methodist Hospitals. Her coworkers knew her as a hard worker who would put in the overtime. She didn’t stop there though! Josephine was also an outstanding Avon Representative and achieved the honor of being in their President’s Club. Her customers adored her because she would always go that extra mile, door to door where no other reps would dare go. She loved and treated everyone the same. She always had Avon products handy and would sell products right out of her car, her store on wheels! She believed that beauty inside and out was possible for everyone, not just for a privileged few. She amazed her peers not only because she was great at selling Avon but because she did all of this with her broken English. Her outstanding sales record was a big accomplishment for her because her broken English did not seem to hold her back. She soon was determined to learn to read and write English so she could be completely self-reliant when it came to language and went to school to work on English. Nothing was ever too late for Josephine. If you put your mind to it, you could do it! Josephine loved everything that was fun, joyful, and romantic. She married her first husband Fouzi ElDarzi in Lebanon. Her second marriage exuded joy from the start meeting her future husband Bill when out with friends dancing and hadn’t stopped dancing since. She married William F. Kunz on November 29, 1984 in Peoria. Josephine shared Bill’s love of sports! Sports were fun after all and made her days more colorful, at least a little more red and white! Their favorite teams were the Bradley Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. Josephine and Bill were regulars and loved to go to the games in their spirit wear to show their team pride and support. They truly enjoyed spending time with each other! When living in East Peoria, they could always be found at the local Hardees having a cup of coffee and laughing with friends. Sharing joy! Josephine chose to be surrounded by joy and sweetness always and truly loved romantic movies whether in English or Arabic. She loved happy endings, music, song and dance. Her favorite music was eclectic; from Arabic music artists Fairuz and Farid El Atrash to English artist Bob Seger “Old time Rock and Roll”. She found friends wherever she went as an active member and volunteer at the Partners Club Community Center in Florida, she made numerous friends and always kept busy making things by hand for her daughters, grandchildren, and nieces. She knew that life was meant to be lived in each moment with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Her smile will be missed dearly by her family and friends. Josephine was a great Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother with a pure loving heart. No words can express the love we had for her or the depth of our sorrow. Josephine was preceded in death by her husband William F. Kunz on March 26, 2006. She is survived by her two daughters Salwa F (David Whealton) ElDarzi and Milia F (Fred) Julian both of Spring Hill, FL; step-daughter Holly J. (Daniel) Swisher of Peoria; two grandchildren Michael Anthony Price of Spring Hill, FL and Jennifer Suzanne Julian of Kingman, AZ; two great-grandchildren Lucas and Delilah Lemons; two sisters Loreece Haddad of Peoria and Lydia Sfeir of Houston, TX. Visitation will be from 5:30 – 7:30 PM, with a Rosary at 7:30 PM on Friday, September 7 at Saint Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 AM on Saturday, September 8 at the church. Father Becharra will officiate. Burial will follow at Swan Lake Memory Garden. Memorials may be made to Saint Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church. The staff at Gary Deiters Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. are assisting the family with arrangements. Please leave condolences at GaryDeitersFuneralHome.com.

Ms. Josephine H. Kunz

February 10, 1933 - August 29, 2018