Monica Svaty

Monica Lane Svaty, the loving wife of Karl Svaty and mother of Sonya, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2024.

Monica will be honored with a Celebration of Life at home, to be announced.

Born and raised in Newton, Kansas by her parents, Lucius and Polly Miller. Monica graduated from Newton High in 1964. Following graduation, she attended Emporia State University before transferring to Kansas State University in 1966 to join Karl (Jerry). Monica and Karl were married on November 22, 1967, and both graduated in May, 1968. Monica had earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education.

In the summer of 1968, a beautiful daughter, Sonya, was born to the family. Shortly after, Monica considered becoming a substitute teacher and wrote a letter to the Manhattan school district. They called immediately to request a visit, and when they learned her sister also taught there several years prior, she was offered a math teaching position in the high school.

After two years of graduate school, Karl was awarded a Masters Degree in Engineering and obtained employment in New Jersey. Although quite a change, Monica quickly adapted. Unfortunately Karl’s position only lasted until February 1971 when he was summoned to become a U.S. Army Lieutenant. After spending some time at several Army posts in the U.S., Karl was assigned a position in Europe as a tank platoon leader in a tank battalion. Monica and Sonya joined him, and they eventually moved to an apartment in Frankfurt, Germany. They had weekends off and spent all their time and money in Austria and Switzerland skiing – a significant highlight of their lives. When the war was over in 1974, Karl was no longer needed and they moved home.

Monica and Karl settled in Salina, Kansas to begin Monica’s teaching career and Karl’s engineering career. While Karl worked for an engineering firm, Monica found a position in the Salina School District teaching at a middle school. After one year, they purchased a 35-acre farm 8 miles west of town. Monica loved the place and her dream of owning her own horse came true in May, 1976 when her uncle brought her dream horse, a palomino gelding named Cody, from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Shortly after, they purchased Sonya a pony so she and Monica could ride together. Monica taught Sonya everything she knew about horses, and they avocation of horsemanship became firmly entrenched in family.

In 1978, Monica and Karl moved to Newton, Kansas. Monica continued her teaching career with the Valley Center School District, teaching both middle and high school mathematics. Monica continued teaching until 1996, when she made the decision to join Karl in developing his bridge monitoring system. To prepare for his new role, she chose to continue her education by completing her Master’s degree in Information Systems from Friends University. As a result, she was instrumental in the development of “Structural Integrity Systems, LLC (SIS)” over the next twenty years. SIS would not have been possible without her contribution, and it took her all across the U.S. The very demanding work included projects for the Florida department of Transportation, several in Kansas and Missouri and very high profile projects in California. For a short period, SIS was a consultant for a project on the Golden Gate Bridge. A highlight was putting on a hard hat and walking the catwalk under the bridge without a hesitation. For two years, she was also a consultant to MIT for bridge monitoring, and went to Boston many times.

The last big SIS project was the Bridge Design Engineer for the entrance to Universal Studios in Los Angeles was a very special one for Monica, a big Harry Potter fan. The project took almost three years and was successfully completed one week before the Harry Potter exhibit opened. The structure can be seen on GOOGLE Earth, as L shaped in plan.

Monica retired in 2016 and had time for quilting with her sister and friends. Using her own mathematical skills, attention to detail and creativity, she produced many exquisite pieces that will be treasured.

Monica and Karl’s great love of adventure led them to many destinations across the U.S. and internationally. They were able to capture many memories, including riding the mules in to the Grand Canyon, and swimming with the dolphins in Puerto Vallarta. Other favorite destinations include Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, Bellingrath Gardens, Pensacola Beach, Tucson, and visiting Sonya at her many horse shows.

As Monica’s health started to deteriorate, they started a series of speech lessons with WSU. Monica moved to Memory Care in early 2024.

Monica’s sense of adventure, her ingenuity and creativity in solving nay sort of problem and kindness to all creatures great and small will be remembered by all who loved her.

Monica is survived by her husband Karl and daughter, Sonya of Chicago, her sister-in-law Anne Svaty and partner Mike of Lafayette, LS, her sister Paula and husband Jack Swickard of Littleton, CO, other nieces and nephews, and her rescue cat, Abby.

In lieu of flowers, cards are much appreciated.

A memorial for Monica L. Svaty has been established at the Kansas State University Foundation for the College of Education. Contributions may be sent to: KSU Foundation. 1800 Kimball Ave., Ste 200, Manhattan KS, 66502. Please indicate fund M47476. To make a gift online, go to ksufoundation.org/give/svaty.