Long lost 'son' joins the Kiester family at reunion
BUTLER TWP — The extended family of retired Butler County Judge George Kiester was reunited during Memorial Day weekend.
Dr. Franz Munch returned to Butler from his home in Germany for a belated birthday celebration for Kiester, who turned 96 on May 20.
Munch was a foreign exchange student 41 years ago who lived with Kiester's family while attending Slippery Rock High School, where he graduated in 1966.
Carol Loza, Kiester's daughter, said Munch was like a brother to the Kiester siblings and a son to Kiester and his wife, Mae.
Kiester and his wife received a thank-you note from Munch this week, expressing gratitude to the couple.
"He thanked them for treating him like a son, for being part of the family," she said.
Munch appreciated having the adopted family, as his father previously died and his mother died shortly upon his arrival at Slippery Rock.Loza said Munch was interested in all of the changes to the county since he was here in the 1960s."He went to Slippery Rock High School to see if any of his track records were broken," she said.Munch also went to Grove City to see where his favorite teacher used to live.Before returning to Germany earlier this month, Munch and his wife, Margit, spent some time at Loza's house in New Jersey."He's happy to have relatives in America," she said.Loza's biological siblings, Phil Kiester of Texas and Diane Deldine of Maryland, were among 40 relatives gathered for the Memorial Day weekend.
