Earlier this year I posted a number of pictures from my trip to Waveland/Bay St Louis, Mississippi. Among them was a particularly striking scene of a tent pitched in the wreckage of a deserted home smashed by hurricane Katrina in 2005. As you might imagine there is something of a story behind the person who pitched that tent. I recently learned a small part of that story and I wanted to post about it so as to give that picture the background it deserves.
I never met the person who pitched the blue dome tent in the shell of a house on Paradise Street in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. “Home sweet home” read a painted sign nailed to the wooden frame of the house that had been ravaged by hurricane Katrina back in 2005. It seemed like a strange place to pitch a tent, but since Katrina had swept through this area causing destruction almost beyond comprehension, for those who lived here the meaning of home had been well and truly redefined.
The tent was home (sweet home) to Munson Voda, a man with a unique name and an adventurous spirit. Like many, Voda had travelled to the area to help relatives clean-up and rebuild their lives in the wake of the storm. But unlike the average volunteer Voda had made the 1,100 mile journey from his home in Wisconsin by kayak along the Mississippi River, a truly remarkable feat of commitment and endurance.
In the early hours of Saturday, October 20th, while walking home from a restaurant, Voda was apparently struck by a vehicle on Paradise Street just 100 yards from his makeshift home. He died as a result of the injuries he sustained.
The unlit road is surrounded by pine forest and according to acting Bay St. Louis Police Chief, Tom Burleson, the person that hit Voda may not have even seen him and could well have thought they had struck an animal. As yet nobody has come forward with any information about the incident which Police are calling an accident.
I wanted to post this because Munson Voda sounds like he would have been an interesting guy. Anyone who would kayak from Wisconsin to south Mississippi to help others surely has a few stories to tell, and while Munson himself can’t tell us his stories now, I didn’t want something of the tale of that blue tent, and the man who pitched it, to go untold.
Rest in Peace Munson.
[Thank you to Susan for seeing this in her local paper and bringing it to my attention]
—
The Return to Waveland
A town called Waveland
Mission to the town that vanished
Wrote the following comment on Oct 26, 2007 at 12:13 am
I’ll see if I can find his family and share this post with them. I’m sure they will appreciate the remembrance…I’ll let you know.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 26, 2007 at 1:11 am
Thanks for posting this. I’ll be at his funeral on Saturday. I will let them know that you’re blogging in his honor. I think his sister will be really touched to know this.
He WAS a VERY interesting guy. We dated VERY briefly. So brief that I’m not sure it even qualified as dating. Even though I had lost touch with him, I never had ill feelings toward him. We were the sort of friends that could part for ten years and pick up exactly where we had left off before.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 26, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Thank you so much for writing this…it is a nice tribute. I met Munny when I was in high school and we became friends. As we got older we both went our separate ways but we always managed to run into each other every couple of years and reconnect. Like Rachael said in her comment he was the kind of person that you could see for the first time in ten years and still pick up exactly where you left off. It makes me sad to know that we will never have another one of those chance encounters again.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 29, 2007 at 3:12 am
Thank you for this tribute to my dear friend Munny. I attended his memorial service Saturday. He was great person, with a great spirit. Even when he was a teenager he seemed to have figured something out about life that most of us never really understand until were much older. Which is he knew that were not guaranteed tomorrow or even five minutes from now and he wasn’t about to waste time conforming to what society does to the majority of us.
I was proud to hear that even as he got older he didn’t stray from the profound individual that I had met so many years before. When I had heard that Munny had kayaked the entire length of Mississippi River from Wisconsin to Mississippi to help his family rebuild after Hurricane Katrina only to be left for dead on the side of the road by some coward who was so heartless that they couldn’t get out of their vehicle to help him, it made me ashamed to be part of a society that can’t even help their fellow man.
As I paged through Munny’s photos of his journey down the Mississippi at his memorial service I noticed that in a number of his photos he had a picture of a different person in every picture that he had taken, and I got to thinking about how many lives Munny had touched on his way to help his family pick up the pieces after a devasting storm.
Munny you have truly inspired me! My only fear is that the sadness in my heart will disappear and I will go back to assuming that I’m guaranteed another day instead of embracing the realization that there really is no time like the present to do the things that matter most! I was reminded this past week of a saying Munny had and for anyone who might have heard Munny say this in the past it might not have seemed as significant as it does at this very moment.
“I CAME, ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING AND LEFT A HUGE IMPRINT!” $ VODA.
Munson P. Voda we will miss you and we will never forget for you came, accomplished more than most and left a crater!
Wrote the following comment on Oct 29, 2007 at 3:47 am
I am one of the MANY that knew Munson Voda, (Munny) when he lived in Wisconsin we had a group of friends that hung out and drank coffee we called ourselves the (Java bandits) when my cousin wrote what Munny said I came accomplished nothing and left a huge imprint. Munny would write that down sometimes while we drank coffee, Back then it didnt really make sence until his passing. Puts things in perspective on what one Man can accomplish in his time here. We love you MUNNY rest in peace my fellow Java bandit.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 3:24 am
Thank you for your tribute to Munny. I am his aunt and I’m sure I speak for the whole family when I say we don’t want his story forgotten, so maybe we can get some answers in the circumstances surrounding his death. Thank you for recognizing the special person he truely was.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 4:20 am
I’ve not commented back to any comments but I just want those of you who have taken the time to comment, or are thinking of commenting, to know that I read every comment and always appreciate them.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 4:20 am
Shane–
although I did not know you personally, I believe I might have a photo that has you (with Munny) in it. Your name sounds familiar. I can dig it out and mail it to you, if you’d like. You can e-mail me through my blog (click on my name).
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Thank You All for this beautiful tribute to my nephew Munny. It is so wonderful to know that so many lives were touched so profoundly by out dear sweet Munny. He will forever be in my memories as the little red haired, freckled faced boy running with his cousins thru what his beloved Gramma called “our hundred acre woods”. I know without a doubt that he is once again running in those woods with his Gramma chiding him to slow down! God bless you Munny for the wonderful memories and may you forever rest in peace. You will forever be missed.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 7:53 pm
I just want to thank you, Simon, for putting this together. Mun was my cousin, and although my last time with him was at my grandma’s funeral, he was always finding the good in things. When we all gathered at my house that night, I remember in particular Mun saying that life is short, and you need to appreciate everything, especially natures beauty. “Theres nothing better than a Wisconsin stary night,” he said. And that is so true. Its sad to think someone who loved the world so much, no longer gets to enjoy it when so many of us take it for granted. I know Mun touched my heart then, and still continues to do so.
I really hope that we all get the answers we need so we can somehow rest and know that Justice WILL be served.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 30, 2007 at 11:25 pm
To one of the coolest people I never met
MUNSON “MUNNY” VODA
You are few and far between,
the kind of person we aspire to be
A lot of life you have lived
most can’t do what you did
Kayaked the Mississippi, and helped your family rebuild
after a storm that made time stand still
There’s nothing worse than the fateful night
when that coward took your life
Gone to soon, hearts filled with regret
To one of the coolest people that I never met.
May you Rest In Peace
Wrote the following comment on Oct 31, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Shane, perhaps instead of being ashamed of being part of a society that would have one person drive away from an accident; why not be proud to be part of a society that would produce someone like Munny. If we are a reflection of our society – I choose Munny’s.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 14, 2007 at 5:30 pm
I just came across this post. I grew up with Munny and always thought of him as a great guy. It’s such a tragedy what happened. This post just goes to show that he touched people he never even met.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 18, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I am glad that someone so far from home cared enough to bring this to everyone’s attention. I am late in finding out about this. The world has lost a great person. I knew Munny back in school. He always made you smile, always a kind word. He would give you the shirt off his back, if he thought it would help. To see that he went to help after Katrina, doesn’t suprise me. It only enhances the wonderful opinion I already had. I’d like to think he’s looking down on all of us.