Manuel “Manny” Terrazas, age 80, of Marion, was embraced in heaven, Saturday morning, October 8, 2016, passing at home surrounded by his loving family.
On February 11, 1936, Manny was born in Midland, Texas, one of nine children of the late Frederick and Elauteria (Ramos) Terrazas. As a family they moved to Adrian, Michigan, when Manny was a young boy, where he found his passion and skill for baseball. He graduated from Adrian High School and attended Adrian College, studying business administration, where excelled as a pitcher on both his high school and college baseball teams. Then, in 1956, Manny was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics to play semi-pro baseball in the minor leagues. He pitched for four years, until his daughter was born in 1960.
For the majority of Manny’s working career, he worked as a purchasing agent, for multiple corporations in Ohio and Indiana until his retirement in 2001.
One of Manny’s stops during his career, was in Marion, Ohio. Soon after moving there, he met the love of his life, Catherine Cronin, whom he married on April 12, 1979. Together they cherished their thirty seven years of marriage. After several other stops, they happily returned home to Marion in 2012.
A man of deep Catholic faith, Manny was a member of many churches, and most recently he has been a member of St. Mary Church in Marion.
Manny’s love for the ball field was never ending. After playing semi-pro baseball, he moved on to playing softball, which he did for over thirty years. He also enjoyed umpiring several men’s softball leagues during that time.
When Manny started slowing down with softball, he quickly switched over to playing golf. One of his favorite jobs in life was working for Southern Dunes Golf Course in Indianapolis, Indiana, maintenancing their golf carts. This enabled him to golf as often as he wanted and for free, at any of their three courses or in their indoor golf simulator in the winter.
A gentle giant, Manny was always laid back and fun loving. He reminded you of a large and sweet teddy bear. He truly felt blessed in life for the love he shared with his wife, children and grandchildren.
He will be dearly missed by his wife, Cathy Terrazas of Marion; four children: Cynthia (Kevin) Phillips of Toledo, Catherine (Dennis) Montalbine of Naperville, IL, Randy (Betty) Terrazas of Marion, and Todd (Tammy) Wise of Marion; ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; a sister, Mary Vargas of Tecumseh, MI; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Including his parents, Manny was preceded in death by two brothers and five sisters.
His family will greet friends from 1 – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, at the Snyder Funeral Homes, GUNDER/HALL Chapel, 347 W. Center St., Marion. Services honoring his life and his faith will follow at 4 p.m., with Father Thomas Buffer and Pastor Terry Moore officiating. Friends and family are then invited to join at the Knights of Columbus, where a meal will be served in his memory.
Memorial contributions may be made to OhioHealth Marion General Hospital Hospice, 278 Barks Rd. W., Marion, OH 43302, or American Diabetes Association, 1701 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311.
Snyder Funeral Homes of Marion are honored to have been chosen to serve Manny’s family and your condolences may be expressed to them by visiting www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
About Marion Online Obituaries
