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Heineken Importer Leo Van Munching Of Darien Dies At 89

DARIEN, Conn. — Leo Van Munching Jr., a Darien resident who guided Heineken’s dominance in the U.S. imported beer market, died Feb. 14 after a long illness. He was 89. 

Leo Van Munching Jr., whose father was known for bringing Heineken to the United States, has died from heart failure at age 89 in Darien.

Leo Van Munching Jr., whose father was known for bringing Heineken to the United States, has died from heart failure at age 89 in Darien.

Photo Credit: University of Maryland

Born in 1926 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Van Munching and his family immigrated to the United States upon the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. His father, Leo Van Munching Sr., came as a representative of the Heineken brewery and eventually established the independent Van Munching & Co. as the sole U.S. importer of Heineken brands. 

Leo Van Munching Jr. served as a Seabee in the 35th Special Naval Construction Battalion on Oahu, Hawaii, from 1944 to 1946. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he enrolled in the University of Maryland on the G.I. Bill, earning a degree from the College of Business and Management in 1950. 

He then went to work for Van Munching & Co., establishing regional offices around the country and developing the brand imagery and the distribution network that led to Heineken’s pre-eminence in the imported beer segment. 

He married Margaret "Peggy" Pratt in 1953, and moved his family to Chicago and Los Angeles before settling in Connecticut, where he took over as president of Van Munching & Co. He remained in that role until his retirement in 1993. 

Van Munching donated Van Munching Hall, home of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, in part to thank the university for its kind treatment of the veterans of World War II.

He was a benefactor and member of the Advisory Board at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, prompting the Diocese of Bridgeport to honor him with the Order of St. Augustine Medal of Service in 2012. Leo and Peggy Van Munching also established the Van Munching Rehabilitation Unit at Stamford Hospital, which helps people with chronic or disabling illnesses or injuries restore their mobility and independence. 

Van Munching was also a leadership donor to the construction of the new Darien Library, which opened in 2009. He was an active supporter of several Darien-based charities, and a member of the Wee Burn Country Club. 

Van Munching is survived by his wife Peggy, and their eight children: Leo, III (Laura) of San Francisco, Jan Phillips (Chuck) of Bonita Springs, Fla., Pieter of Darien, Paul (Heather) of Bath, England, Tesa of Newport, R.I., Anne Ardery (Peter) of Darien, Philip (Christina) of Darien, and Christopher (Kimberly) of Darien; sister, Anne Wilsey, of Greenwich; and 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas More Church in Darien on Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m. Memorial donations can be made to the Kolbe Cathedral High School, 33 Calhoun Place, Bridgeport, CT 06604, attention Jo-Anne Jakab, Principal.

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