James Raymond Munkres passed away peacefully on July 30, 2026 in Bedford, Massachusetts, just a few weeks before his 96th birthday. Jim was born August 18, 1930 to Raymond and Thelma Munkres in in Broadwater, Nebraska. He grew up growing dahlias, playing the piano, and helping on his father's Sand Hills cattle ranch with his brother Bob.

When his mathematics education ground to a halt with Algebra II (as no teacher in his 4-room schoolhouse could make sense of the textbook), his Aunt Carrie told him to go to college; he headed east to Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln at age 16.

Torn between music and mathematics, he figured music would be an easier hobby, so he majored in math, earning his BA in 1950.  He went on to the University of Michigan, finishing his PhD in 1956 under Edwin Moise. A stint at Los Alamos in the summers led to his work on what is now known as the Munkres Algorithm, and also sparked a love of hiking in the mountains. After a post-doc at Princeton – where faculty had to wear cap and gown daily, even in the cafeteria! – Jim found an intellectual and cultural home at MIT.  He joined the faculty in 1960, and would teach there for 50 years.

As a young MIT professor, Jim met Barbara through First Church in Cambridge (Congregational) as they learned and sang the Faure Requiem.  Married in 1964, they shared a love of music, hiking and the outdoors.  They raised their two children, Susan and Andrew, in Lexington, MA, where they became lifelong members of Pilgrim Congregational Church.

A life goal of Jim's was to have flowers blooming every day of the year, through indoor and outdoor gardens. As any visitor to 40 Woodland Road would attest, he was successful in this pursuit. Camping trips to the White Mountains of New Hampshire were a yearly highlight for Jim and his family. He climbed many peaks; his final high summit was Mount Lafayette at age 80.

Music and mathematics were Jim's gifts, and he took great pleasure in sharing these gifts with others.  After reconceptualizing the teaching of topology (the study of how shapes are stretched or bent while remaining functionally the same), Jim published his lectures and problem sets as "Topology: A First Course" in 1974.  This text has been used in college and university topology courses all over the world, and is still in print today.  Three others of his books were also significant contributions to the teaching of mathematics, including Elements of Algebraic Topology, which was revised by its publisher in 2025. He received teaching awards from MIT, and an honorary doctorate from Nebraska Wesleyan in 1989. He became a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2018.

While the piano did remain Jim's "hobby," he approached it with singular dedication. He practiced regularly throughout his life, with a repertoire ranging from Bach to Brahms, hymns to musicals, and popular music from the 1890s to the 1950s. He performed at church and locally, and after moving to Carleton Willard Village, he offered weekly Friday performances of classical and popular music.

Jim is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barbara Jane Munkres (Stetson), daughter Susan Munkres (Burlington, VT), son Andrew Munkres (Cornwall, VT), and his beloved grandchildren Romy Munkres, Benjamin Munkres, and Amelia Van Driesche. He is predeceased by his parents and his brother Bob.

A memorial service will be held at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Lexington, MA on Sunday, August 30 at 2pm.  Donations in Jim's memory may be made to Pilgrim Congregational Church, Nebraska Wesleyan University or the Appalachian Mountain Club, for any who so desire.