Manfred Stein

Manfred Manny Stein born November 19, 1921 in New York, Borough of Bronx, to William and Bertha Stein passed away January 5, 2014. He is preceded in death by his sisters Ruth and Beatrice; and his wife Virginia Cutlip. Following High School he went into the National Youth Administration. When WWII broke out he resigned as a Junior Aircraft Mechanic to accept a job at Middletown Airbase. While there, he met his first wife Jane who died in a tragic car accident after 5 years of marriage. He then met and married Skip Lighty who became his second wife. He and Skip had two children Terry and Craig. Skip died of heart failure in 1989. On February 12, 1991 he met Virginia Cutlip and married February 20, 2000. Virginia died July 31, 2010. In 1942, Manny enlisted in the Army Air Corp where he received extensive training as a 50 caliber machine gun operator. He was assigned to a B-24. After flying five missions on Nazi Germany they were attacked by Nazi aircraft where Manny sustained serious injuries to his left leg and was in the hospital for 24 months. He was medically discharged and attended college under the GI Bill through the Aeronautical University in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduation he accepted a position at Martin Marietta in Baltimore Maryland where he worked as an aerospace engineer for 15 years. An opportunity opened at Kennedy Space Center where he worked on the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle projects. He was awarded many honors including the prestigious NASA Silver Snoopy Award. Manny retired in 1987. Since living in Sylvania with his son, Rodney, Manny had the opportunity to go on an Honor Flight on November 13, 2010 to Washington, DC with other WWII veterans from Dayton, Ohio. This was a trip he would always remember. He is survived by daughter Terry Art Potthast and son Craig Julie Stein; step-sons Ricky Kristal, Rodney Sharon and Rocky Sharon; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. He loved talking about WWII and flying as a waist gunner on B-24 aircraft with his grandsons and making bets of hamburgers and milkshakes on the Tigers vs. Giants with grandsons Joe Marshke and Scott Clemente. Friends will be received at the Walker Funeral Home 5155 Sylvania Ave. west of Corey on Wednesday from 5-9 PM. Funeral services will be held at Toledo Memorial Park in the Chapel of Peace on Thursday at 11 AM. The family suggests memorials to Honor Flight. Condolences may be sent to the family at walkerfuneralhomes.com