GAYS  MILLS - For the entire 13 years that I have served as the editor of Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout, the newspaper has been printed in Lancaster under the direction of Phil Muench. The 52-year-old printer put out his last edition of the Independent-Scout on Wednesday, Oct. 28. 

I saw him sitting at his desk talking on the  phone, as I walked by to get the newspapers. He smiled and we exchanged a little wave. I never saw him again.

On Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, he went to the hospital in Lancaster and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

A week later on Saturday, Nov. 7, he was feeling lightheaded and returned to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with low oxygen levels. He was admitted and given oxygen.

Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when I went to retrieve the newspapers, I was informed Phil had been Med Flighted to a hospital in Madison on Monday. He spent the next month in the ICU–much of it on a ventilator in an induced coma.

Phil Muench died on Thursday, December 10, 2020 at Meriter Hospital in Madison. 

 Every year, I would purchase apples from the Gays Mills orchards for Phil and we would discuss the varieties available. 

The last variety I’d buy for him would be Empire­-the best keeper. He would refrigerate those apples and keep eating them with his family through spring.

I never delivered the Empires this year, but I plan on getting them to his family soon.

Thanks for the effort Phil. We will miss you and your can-do attitude. Goodbye.

-Charley Preusser, editor