January 17, 1943 – June 21, 2025

Lawrence Edward Manton, 82, passed away on June 21, 2025. He was born on January 17, 1943 to William Arthur Manton and Alma Christine Winter Manton in Hackensack, NJ, the oldest of 5 children. Larry grew up in New Jersey until the family’s move to Wantagh, NY where he graduated from high school and met his future wife, Sue Hartmann, at a football game. “I called her from a pay phone after walking around a lot, getting up the courage to call.” He went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a year and transferred to Hofstra University where he got a degree in Psychology/Sociology. Upon finishing classes at Hofstra, he married Sue, honeymooned in FL, and returned for his diploma (where Martin Luthur King Jr. was the keynote speaker) in May of 1965. They were married for 60 years. After visiting the sunny city of El Paso, TX, they decided to take a risk and pack up their 3 children and family dog to move without a job to TX in 1972 where they lived for 17 years and eventually adopted their son. Larry’s career with Texas Employer’s Insurance briefly moved them to Amarillo where Sue finished college before moving to west Houston, TX where they lived and were visited by their children/grandchildren for 15 years. They made their final move to their current home in Cypress, TX, as well as purchasing their vacation home in Laguna Woods, CA. They spent their retirement years with church friends, reading/watching news, and travelling to Laguna Woods as well as Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Israel, Iceland and many, many other places.

Larry was a deeply loved husband, father, grandfather (Peepaw), brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was a life-long Lutheran who enjoyed spending time with friends, taking pictures, working on cars, doing renovation projects as well as repairs around the house and for his family. Those who knew him appreciated his sweet, non-judgmental nature, sharp mind, and willingness to help and teach – whether that was learning to ride a bike or drive, check the oil in the car, or electrical work. Above all, he prioritized and cherished the time he spent with his family, especially his children and grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife Sue Manton; four children, Lenore McClanahan (John) of Georgetown, TX, Denise Johnson (Kenny) of Burleson, TX, Caroline Pate (Ron) of Fayetteville, NC, and Michael Manton (Danielle) of Bellevue, OH; their grandchildren Cayla Meadows (Daniel), Christopher Wood (Melody), Jory Johnson (Haley), Jayme Czap, James and Jace Manton; and his sisters, Barbara Althoff (John) and Christine Timmerman (Loren). He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Beverly, and brother, Brian.

There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, 11522 Telge Rd., Cypress, TX 77433.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Lutheran World Relief (www.lwr.org) or American Heart Association (heart.org) in Larry’s name.