Newspaper Obituary

Dr. D.E. Mungello died July 4, 2026, after a prolonged battle with kidney disease. He was born November 20, 1943, in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Mungello earned a B.A. in Philosophy from George Washington University in 1965 and married Christine McKegg that same year in Washington, D.C. The couple moved to California, where he completed an M.A. in Asian Studies and a Ph.D. in History at the University of California, Berkeley.

Mungello was a noted historian of early modern Sino-Western relations and authored 11 books. He also founded and edited a journal focused on post-Mao-era Chinese and Western historical scholarship. Mungello held teaching positions at Lingnan College in Hong Kong, Briarcliff College in New York, and Coe College in Iowa before joining Baylor University in 1994. He retired in 2017 and was named Professor Emeritus of History.

Over the course of his life, Mungello shared his home with 11 Labrador Retrievers, each occupying a special place in his heart. Favorite pastimes were  early morning workouts, worshiping at Christ Church Waco and spending time with family.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Christine McKegg Mungello. Survivors include his daughter, Elise Anne Howard of Dallas; his son, Michael Campbell Mungello of Waco; his grandchildren, Dylan Pflum, Austin Pflum, Holden Howard, and Maddie Sue Pflum; his great-grandchild, Kennedy Pflum and her parents grandson Jordan and wife Kayla Pflum; and his siblings, Marianne Mungello Rohrer  and Mark Donald Mungello of Sicklerville, N.J.

David is survived by his daughter, Elise Anne Howard of Dallas, Texas; his son, Michael Campbell Mungello of Waco, Texas; his grandchildren, Dylan Pflum, Austin Pflum, Holden Howard, and Maddie Sue Pflum; his great-grandchild, Kennedy Pflum, daughter of his grandson Jordan and wife Kayla Pflum; and his siblings, Marianne Mungello of St. Louis, Missouri, and Mark Mungello of Sicklerville, New Jersey.

Private family interment will take place at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, TX where he will be laid to rest next to his wife Christine. 

David proudly supported the scholarship foundation at his alma mater, Burgettstown High School. If desired, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the Burgettstown Area Scholarship Foundation, 104 Bavington Road, Burgettstown, PA 15021.