This month, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors is pleased to introduce you to The Muncey Family: Dave, Emily, Alexia, Charlotte and Ryder. Life for this family of five (about to be six) is full of happiness and hard work in a community they love to call HOME.
Dave is originally from Upper Darby, where he lived with his parents, his brother Larry and his sister Kelly. He went to Hillcrest Elementary School, Drexel Hill Middle School and graduated from Upper Darby High School. “After I graduated, I went to work as a foreman landscape contractor,” Dave said. “I had always been interested in the automotive industry, so when an opportunity presented itself, I took it.”
Today, Dave works for KOP Auto Body Supplies in King of Prussia. “We specialize in providing professional auto body supplies and paint products,” Dave explained. “It’s a one-stop shop for automotive collision repair and refinishing products.” When asked what he loves about his job, Dave said that he enjoys the daily conversations with his customers and the challenge of creating hard-to-match colors for their automobiles.
Emily grew up in Broomall with her parents and two brothers, Justin and Joey. She attended Russell Elementary School and Paxon Hollow Middle School, where she enjoyed playing the flute and roller hockey at Marple Sports Arena. Emily then went to Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) where she played field hockey, ran indoor and outdoor track, participated in the school’s shows and musicals and played the flute/piccolo in the marching band, concert band and jazz band.
After graduation, Emily worked in the food and beverage industry as a server and bartender. She also took Computer Science classes at West Chester University, which helped prepare her for her future career as a title clerk and notary public at her mom’s auto tags office in Broomall. “My mom, Michelle McFadden owns First Class Auto Tags,” Emily explained. “I decided to join her in the business after I had my daughter because I wanted to switch from the crazy scheduling in the restaurant industry.” Emily said that her mom mentioned that she could use some help, and that it
has been great working with her over the past nine years.
First Class Auto Tags offers services like title transfers, license restoration, notary services and FBI fingerprinting. Emily finds it rewarding to help customers navigate the process so it’s quick and easy for them.
Emily and Dave met ten years ago through mutual friends. “Dave had moved to Newtown Square with his parents and his young daughter, Alexia in 2008,” Emily said. “We used to spend a lot of time hanging out with friends at Barnaby’s in Havertown and had all planned a Labor Day trip to Ocean City, MD, about ten years ago.” Unfortunately, Dave wasn’t able to make it, so he and Emily planned to meet up after the trip and had their first date that September.
Their first date was back at Barnaby’s where Dave and Emily spent one-on-one time getting to know each other better. Their relationship grew, as did their family. We got engaged in 2019 after we had our second child,” Emily said. “We had just bought a home, and the day we settled, we took the kids to see the house.” Little did Emily know that Dave had a surprise for her as well. “We walked in the house, showed the kids around and then Dave proposed,” she said. “He knows I’m not one to have a lot of attention on me, so he kept it simple and it was perfect.”
The Muncey’s oldest daughter is 16-year-old Alexia. She is a student at MNHS who has a passion for alternative rock music and horror movies. Alexia is part of the school’s newspaper and has participated in school musicals. On the weekends, you’ll find Alexia working at Jumpers in Edgmont.
Charlotte is their nine-year-old daughter who goes to Culbertson Elementary. She loves cheerleading for Marple Junior Tigers, playing softball at Newtown Square Petticoat League and is learning to play the flute this year. Charlotte loves learning and aspires to be a teacher and a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader someday.
Ryder is Emily and Dave’s six-year-old son, who attends Culbertson Elementary. He is really into playing baseball at Newtown Edgmont Little League and soccer for Marple Soccer Association. Dave said that Ryder is looking forward to participating in the indoor soccer skills clinic at Marple Sports Arena this winter. Ryder also has quite a creative side and wants to be an artist.
The Munceys are also excited to announce that they are expecting another little one to join their family this coming March. “The kids can’t wait to spoil their new little brother (especially Ryder),” Dave said. “We’re going to have a busy spring, for sure!”
Yes, it’s going to be a full house, especially when you include their two cats, Ollie and Dave, and their dog, Misty, who is a half blue heeler and half-pitbull mix. They adopted their cats about six years ago. “Ollie loves people and has a very dominant personality while Dave is very content lounging around the house,” Emily said. “On the other hand, our pup, Misty is two years old and very energetic!”
Home for this growing family is in the Larchmont section of Newtown Square near Newby Park. Emily and Dave said when deciding where to look for a home, they agreed that they wanted to be in Newtown Square to be close to both sets of parents and to send their kids through the Marple Newtown School District. “We love it here,” Emily said. “Our neighbors are amazing and there are so many kids on our street.”
When Dave, Emily and the kids want to get away, they head to their trailer in a campground in New Jersey. That’s where they spend most of their summer weekends. “The campground offers the best of both worlds,” Dave said. “We’re close to the beach, but the campground also has a pool, lots of kids and family activities all summer long.” Emily and Dave also set a goal to visit and explore a new state every year. So far, they have been to Florida, Massachusetts, Virginia and Tennessee. The plan for next year is to head west to Colorado.
But, at the end of the day, the Munceys are always grateful to come home. “We love working and raising our family in this community,” Emily and Dave said. “We couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Thank you, Dave and Emily for sharing your story and your love for our Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors. We wish you all the best with your new little one on the way and hope you have a happy, healthy holiday!
Do you know a Newtown Square family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for
upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.