A Life Legacy Celebration in Loving Memory of

Stanley Orvin Manns

Sunrise - March 12, 1940

Sunset – January 2, 2021

Stanley Orvin Manns was born in Chicago, IL on March 12, 1940 to the union of Herman and Essie Manns as a home birth. He was the second of five children. He confessed Christ at an early age and remained a faithful church attendee.

Stanley attended Englewood high school and participated in ROTC there. He also attended college at Chicago Teaching School and Culinary School. Stanley held various careers as a family-owned restaurant cook, pastry/wedding cake chef, Union Rep Foreman at General Motors, and Robotics technician. Stanley’s hobbies included being an avid chess and checker player, daily lottery playing, watching Jeopardy, playing monopoly with family, enjoyed watching old movie classics, was a fan of cowboy movies from the forties, fifties, early sixties, and having trivia question arguments with his siblings. Anytime Perry Mason or Star Trek were on you could find him watching them on any channel several times a day. One of his notable accomplishments was in the mid-seventies when Stanley won his way to the status of Chess Master and joined the national & international Chess Masters club. At the Chess Masters club he was chairperson for two years and remained as an advisor to the club until 2018.

In 1987, Stanley left Chicago and relocated to Oakland, California to join his oldest sister (Lillian Carter). While in California he continued to enjoy chess matches, watching movie classics, local sightseeing, and most of all family time. He also enjoyed occasionally traveling back to Chicago in the summer to visit family. Stanley loved food and these are a few of his go to restaurants: Harold’s Chicken (Chicago), Lems BBQ (Chicago), and Southern Café (Oakland). And his favorite beverage was always RC Cola.

Stanley often sacrificed what he could to ensure his parents, siblings, nieces & nephews had what they wanted and needed especially during Christmas time. His greatest joy was seeing smiles on their faces when opening his presents. Stanley loved life, his family and had a great sense of humor. 

On January 2, 2021, Stanley peacefully passed away in Alameda, California. Stanley was loved by all and will be missed.

He had a great love for his sisters: Lillian Carter (preceded in death), Sharon Montague (preceded in death), and Margie Bennett (step-sister – preceded in death). Stanley leaves to cherish Eva Patton (sister), Iris Lisa Robinson (sister); his nieces & nephews - Dorothy Carter, Craig Carter, Bari-Lynn Carter, Danielle Montague (preceded in death), Frank Montague Jr., Syreeta Robinson-Kinnard (Antuan), Taylor Rance Robinson, Willie Bennett (step-nephew), and James Bennett (step-nephew); a host of relatives, chess teammates and friends.

Please contact the family for service times and information.

Dedication Poems:

GOD'S GARDEN
God looked around his garden and found an empty place, He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face. He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest. God’s garden must be beautiful. He always takes the best. He knew that you were suffering. He knew you were in pain. He knew that you would never get well on earth again. He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb. So, he closed your weary eyelids and whispered, ‘Peace be thine’. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn’t go alone, for part of us went with you the day God called you home. –Anonymous

FOOTPRINTS
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints.  Other times there was only one. This bothered me because I noticed during the low periods of my life when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So, I said to the Lord, “You promised me, Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me? The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you.” - Unknown

I’M FREE
Don t grieve for me, for now I’m free, I’m following the path God laid for me. I took his hand when I heard him call, I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day to laugh, to love, to work or play. Tasks undone must stay that way. I found that peace at close of day. If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, ah, yes, these things I too will miss. Be not burdened with times of sorrow I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I’ve savored much, good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all to brief, don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your hearts and share with me God wanted me now: He set me free. -Robert M Burcham

UNCLE
Uncle, of all the many blessing however great or small, to have had you for an uncle was the greatest one of all. The family chain is broken now, and nothing seems the same but as God takes us one by one the chain will link again. - all-greatquotes.com