Sonya Wilt
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Dr. Sonya "Sunny" Anne (Mugnani) Wilt, formerly of Greenville, PA and residing in The Villages, FL, passed away on October 30, 2021. She was born on March 7, 1937, in Charleroi, PA, to Carl and Emilie (Erickson) Mugnani. She graduated from West View High School in the North Hills of Pittsburgh in 1955. She earned her B.A. degree from Muskingum College in 1959, her M.A. degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962, and was conferred a Ph.D. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975.
She was married to Senator Roy W. Wilt, Sr. on August 6, 1960. She is survived by her husband, her two sons Roy Wilt, Jr. and Rod Wilt (Jill); her three grandsons, Tanner Ray Wilt, Robert Alan Wilt and Roy Wilt, III "Trey"; a great-grand daughter Ruth Victoria Leone; her two sisters Pamela Anne Elish (Naperville, IL) and Bonita Anne Mugnani (Santa Cruz, CA); and many nieces and nephews. She also took great pride in her relationship with Saba Wolteji, and her brother, Kirubel, who came to Thiel Colleg from Ethiopia in 1984.
Sunny began her lifelong career at Thiel College as a professor of English and Communication in 1966. She founded and co-chaired the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in 1991. She instituted a Major in Speech and Hearing. Her academic awards were many, and her service to Thiel College spanned over 30 years. Dr. Wilt also developed a renowned private speech pathology practice in the Greenville, PA area.
Sunny was a passionate fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a self-described "Wrestling Mom" who enjoyed watching her sons compete for Greenville High School and Thiel College. She was a faithful member of Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Dr. Sonya M. Wilt Endowed Scholarship c/o Thiel College, 75 College Avenue, Greenville, PA 16125. A more complete obituary can be accessed at: http://loutzenhiserfuneralhomes.com/sonya-wilt
Funeral services were held on Monday, November 22, 2021 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Greenville, PA.