Vera Emily McCune

Surrounded by her loving family, Vera Emily McCune (nee Stuhlmueller) passed away peacefully on Friday, September 20, 2019, at the age of 94. A short illness capped a very long and full life, with countless warm memories that will no doubt keep thoughts of her alive.

Her family and friends will always remember her love for music, the beautiful sound of her pipe organ at Sunday Mass, her passion to play (and usually win at) bridge, and her never-flagging optimistic embrace of life. Vera was a loving, steady, and nurturing force, guiding multiple generations of McCunes - and the stories of her life gave pause for both awe and amusement: she was awarded two Masters of Music, in piano and in organ, from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and she performed in concert with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; later, upon viewing the majestic glaciers of British Columbia from an open-air car, she insisted that the family car be replaced by a 1965 Buick Skylark Gran Sport convertible with a 445cc Wildcat engine, snows of Chicago be damned! Though she brushed medical catastrophe more than once, she always bounced back, "graduating from hospice" more than once, again playing the organ or joining the bridge table or reading more than one newspaper a day.

Vera was born on December 7, 1924 in Hamilton, Ohio to William and Alma Stuhlmueller. In addition to her parents, she is predeceased by Joe McCune, her husband of 58 years, and by her siblings Sr. Mary Stuhlmueller, SND, Sr. Louise Stuhlmueller, SND, Fr. Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, and Mrs. Janet Kuebel (Dan). Her memory will be cherished by her children, Lisa Lacci (John), Mike McCune (Karen), Bill McCune (Erin), and Kevin McCune (Angela); her beloved niece, Mary Vee Kuebel Connell; her grandchildren Laura (Paul Michelotti), Kathleen (Konrad Bienia), Christina, John, Louise, Emma, Alaina, Maura (Patrick Corvington), Sarah, Elise, Grace, and Abby; her great-grandchildren Ella, Gabe, and Teddy Michelotti, and Liam Bienia. She will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery next to Joe (Lieutenant Commander of the submarine, US Haddo, and one of the first American servicemen to set foot on Japanese soil at the end of WWII). The family asks that special remembrances on her behalf be conveyed to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (255 East Ave, Ste LL02, Rochester, NY 14604), the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (PO Box 210003, Cincinnati, OH 45221), or Advocate Hospice (c/o Advocate Charitable Foundation, 3075 Highland Parkway #600, Downers Grove, IL 60515).