JAVENE CATHERINA (RISS) MUNDT, 93, Spearfish, SD died Saturday, January 19, 2013 at the David M. Dorsett Healthcare Center.

Javene was born on October 10, 1919, on the family farm near Grand Island, Nebraska. Her parents were John Anton Riss and Amelia E. (Ehlers) Riss. She was the second of four children. Javene started school early as her older brother Joe was going, so her parents thought she should go as well.

She had an early and avid interest in baseball. She played on the local town team as a first baseman and in the outfield. Her father was an umpire in area games and Javene tagged along to the games and soon learned she could hold her own with the boys. The love of baseball continued throughout her entire life. She was proud that she got to see the Colorado Rockies in action one time.

Javene graduated from Phillips High School in Phillips, NE in1937.

Javene and Ralph Donald Mundt were united in marriage at the Hall County NE Courthouse by the county judge on October 1, 1940. Her sister Helen Riss and Ralph's cousin Milton Suck stood up for them. The only others in attendance were Javene's parents.

After a short honeymoon trip to North Platte NE, where they were quarantined for scarlet fever, along with Javene's brother Royal C. Riss, who went along for the ride, the newlywed Mundt's returned to a farm where Ralph was working in the Phillips area. The next summer Javene canned 300 quarts of produce from her garden. She was newly married and didn't know how much food they would need. It was plenty.

To this union three boys were born. After the boys were in school in Grand Island, Javene started what would be a lifetime of nursing care for others. She worked at the Lutheran Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island. As well as kept the house and attended all of her active boys sporting and school events.

She was loved by all the boy's classmates as the "Cool Mom", a title she really liked. She was also the first to be called when any of the nieces or nephews needed help of any kind.

Javene moved to Rapid City in 1964 and continued her career as a nurse's aide both at Bennett Clarkson Hospital and at RC Regional Hospital. After 34 years in the nursing profession, some of them as a teacher in the Nursing program in Rapid City, she retired in 1984 with a whopping pension of $124 per month.

After she retired she helped her husband Ralph, on a daily basis, in his repair shop. To the last days of her life she could still help analyze a problem with mowers or small engines, or just about anything mechanical. Javene lost her husband in January 1988, 25 years to the month. Javene then moved to Spearfish in 1993 to be closer to her sons.

Grateful to have shared in her life are her sons Donald R. (Kay) Mundt and Wayne R. (Patti) Mundt of Spearfish, and her son Rodney D. Mundt of Sturgis.

She is also survived and loved by 9 grandchildren: Janine Tonya (Donald) Miller, Donneen Mundt and Chad Mundt, as well as Eric (Tracy) Mundt, Nicholas Mundt, Zachery (Leilah) Mundt, and Luke (Jessica) Mundt and by Amber Mundt (Jesse) Comp and Rory Mundt (Amber Beauvais). She is also survived by 8 Great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Ralph, her parents, her Stepfather Nels Libner, her brothers Joseph J. Riss and Royal C. Riss and her sister Helen Seim.

Visitation for Javene will be 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Thursday, January 24, 2013 at the Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM, Friday, January 25, 2013 at the Spearfish United Methodist Church. Her grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. She will be laid to rest next to her husband, Ralph, in Rapid City. She will truly be missed by her immediate and extended family.