- Date Of Birth: May 8, 1926
- Date Of Death: June 24, 2021
- State: Indiana
Mrs. Mafalda Michele “Muff” Klose, 95, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully of natural causes at Elkhart General Hospital on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 2:30 am. She was born on May 8, 1926 in Elkhart to the late Joseph and Clelia (Lucchese) Montagano and then married Edward Klose on June 11, 1949. He passed away on June 30, 2016 in Elkhart after 67 wonderful years together.
Surviving Muff are her children Robert J. (Jerri) Klose and Monica L. (Charles Hull) Klose-Hull, both of Elkhart; her sister Josephine Dubois of Blue Island, Illinois; grandsons Shawn (Alexis) and Kelly (Natalie) Klose, and great grandchildren Taylor, Ace and Quinn Klose. Additionally, a host of loving cousins, nieces and nephews survive as well, along with a plethora of good friends and associates. Muff is preceded in death by siblings Ralph, John, Casey, Frank and Michael Montagano, Dorothy Kidder and Mary Turso. Finally, Muff’s family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to Muff’s devoted caregivers Denise, Barb, Wonema, Pam and Connie, who all became very close friends to Muff and her family during their time caring for her.
Muff was a life-long resident of Elkhart and was the long-time owner-operator of Muff’s Beauty Shop, which became the social hub for three generations of women. She had worked there for just over 54 years and treated her customers like extended family. It was said that a trip to her salon was more of a social event than getting one’s hair done, consisting of lunch, dinner, entertainment, and family. This made the news of her retirement difficult to hear for her long-time patrons. The salon was a local staple of love, warmth and acceptance; and naturally became the place to “be” if you wanted to stay up-to-date on all of the local buzz. And doing hair generally required Muff to be more than just a beautician; she also took on the roles of counselor, advisor, best friend and biggest fan, because we all know that hairstylists have all the answers!
But more importantly, Muff was a wonderful wife to Ed and a beautiful mother to Bob and Monica. Spending time with her family was her number one priority and she absolutely adored them. She was always considered a giving person, and her children accredit her for being an integral part of their ability to start businesses of their own. Determined, headstrong and always capable, it was always joked that Muff’s hobby was working. She was a devout catholic, a die-hard Fighting Irish of Notre Dame fan (she and Ed attended ALL of the home games for many years), loved high fashion and just plain having fun. She also liked to eat lunch out with her friends and family and would drop everything to be there for those who needed her. She loved the music of the 30’s and 40’s and loved to dance with her life partner, Ed. Although she will be sorely missed, it is difficult not to smile imagining her and Ed in Heaven together again, tripping the night fantastic and swaying to Louis Prima and “Mambo Italiano.”
