Lawrence W. 'Larry' Mcmanus

Lawrence W. "Larry" McManus, age 97, of Prairie Village, KS, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 7, 2017. Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Monday, September 11th at Muehlebach Funeral Care, 6800 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO. The Rosary will be prayed at 6:30pm. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:00am, Tuesday, September 12th at St. Ann Catholic Church, 7231 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS.
Larry was born August 15, 1920 on a farm in Nodaway County, MO, to William B. and Mary (Corcoran) McManus. The farm was located 3 miles south of Benedict Abbey in the town of Conception, MO, population of around 150. At that time there was no electricity and lighting was from coal oil lamps, water was pumped from a cistern next to the house for cooking and laundry - no bathroom, and heat was only in the kitchen from a cookstove fueled by firewood which was Larry's chore to collect.
Larry was one of five children, having three sisters and one brother. His first education was in a one room schoolhouse where they walked the mile and a half back and forth from home. When he was in fourth grade, his parents decided to send all the children to a Catholic school at Conception that was taught by the nuns from O'Fallon. The commute to this school was three and a half miles on dirt roads and they used a horse and buggy. A story Larry liked to tell was of the day they rode the horse to school, hitched it to the post and came out later to go home and found the horse had died. This was a real shock to his schoolmates and a story recounted many times by all. He graduated from that school with 8 or 10 people in his class.
Larry graduated from Conception high school and stayed at home for a year to work on the farm as his Dad wanted him to become a farmer. However, he did not enjoy the hard work and long hours on the farm from daylight to dark and then the chores for another hour like milk the cow, feed all the animals, etc. He decided to attend junior college at the Abbey and finished two years which helped him get into officer training in the Navy.
Larry served his country by enlisting in the United States Navy where he spent time fighting in WWII as a supply officer. First he worked in a disbursing office on payroll for the sailors at Camp Perry, Virginia leading to him to be assigned as a midshipman at Wellesley Supply School which was a branch of Harvard. Next he was assigned to a destroyer in Recife, Brazil, and spent 2 1/2 years aboard the USS Winslow, DD539, and made five Mid-Atlantic crossings to England and France and from New York and Boston protecting a convoy of about 30 troop ships. Larry was released from the ship in 1946 but stayed In the Reserves and dedicated 30+ years to his country, completing his journey with a Commander rank, and earning the Europe-Africa-Middle East Medal with one Battle Star, along with the American Theater Medal.
Larry finished his college degree at Rockhurst College in 1947. His first job was with Folgers Coffee Company and from there went to Standard Brands, Wilson Meats and finally Aylward Products Company. Larry worked there for 30 years with Chuck Aylward, founder of the company, forming a team that worked well together.
In 1950, Larry married the love of his life, Elizabeth Ann Corcoran. They lived in the neighborhood of St Francis Xavier and belonged to that church. They had many mutual and life long friends from this area including Lillis High School and Rockhurst College. They moved to the new development of Prairie Village around 1950 and attended St. Ann's Church. Together, Larry and Elizabeth had seven children; five girls and two boys who all attended St. Ann's elementary school. They had many great neighbors, too many to name, fun times playing cards, golfing and putting on big birthday parties. Larry and Betty spent many happy years together until her passing on September 28, 1982. Larry was a member of St. Anns Parish for over sixty years, a 3rd degree knight with the Knights of Columbus, as well as a member of the American Legion.
One of Larry's favorite activities, was investing in farmland with his good friends Frank O'Leary, Hugh Carr and Paul Goettle. He also enjoyed his Saturday morning breakfast with all of his Rockhurst buddies, most recently with Paul Gualterri and Joe Vowells. He also spent many years socializing and traveling with his dear friend Virginia Houston.
Larry is preceded in death by his parents, William and Mary; brother, Gerald; sister, Sister Emerita; and wife, Elizabeth. He is survived by his sons, John (Elaine) McManus and David (Colleen) McManus; daughters, Ann Marie McManus, Eileen McManus (Mike Hurd), Marybeth Page (Craig), Molly Cowell, Katie Morris; thirteen grandchildren; six great grandchild; and sisters, Sister Bonaventure and Helen Billiard.
The family would like to thank the staff of Santa Marta and Catholic Community Hospice for all their care and compassion towards Larry. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Conception Abbey, 37174 State Hwy VV, Conception, MO 64433.




There will be a luncheon immediately following Mass in the Parish Hall. SERVICES Visitation
Monday, September 11, 2017 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Muehlebach Funeral Care 6800 Troost Avenue Kansas City, Missouri 64131
Rosary
Monday, September 11, 2017 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Muehlebach Funeral Care 6800 Troost Avenue Kansas City, Missouri 64131
Mass of Christian Burial
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
St. Ann's Catholic Church 7231 Mission Road Prairie Village, Kansas 66208

There will be a luncheon immediately following Mass in the Parish Hall.