Robert Hayward Manz died on July 3, 2021. Bob was the son of the late John William and Katherine Hayward Manz. He had been a resident of Greenville, SC since 1981. Bob spent most of his childhood in New Haven, CT. He was an Eagle Scout and attended the 1960 Boy Scout National Jamboree in Colorado Springs, CO. Bob graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Civil Engineering. Prior to living in Greenville, Bob lived in Hermosa Beach, CA while employed by the California Dept. of Transportation and in Seattle, WA and Santa Clara, CA while employed by Phillips Fibers Corp. Bob retired in November 2013 from the City of Greenville where he was employed as an Assistant City Engineer. Professionally, Bob worked 44 years, 28 of those in private industry and 16 with local and state government. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in both California and South Carolina.
Bob loved sports and was a huge fan of the Kentucky Wildcats. Bob attended numerous college football bowl games, numerous NCAA Basketball Tournament games (including two Final Fours), the World Series, a NFL Conference Championship game, NFL Pro Bowl, and a NBA World Championship game. Bob participated in numerous sporting activities and played on a Greenville area team (the Rebels) that won a USSSA State Slow-Pitch Softball Championship and an ASA Slow-Pitch Softball Championship.
Bob loved to travel, especially to National Parks. He visited all 50 states. In retirement, Bob enjoyed participating in the classes and lifelong learning opportunities offered by OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University). Bob could often be seen walking his dog, the most recent being Chase.
Bob was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Upstate Baseball/Softball, Basketball, and Football Clubs. Bob also volunteered his time by working at numerous BMW Pro-Am Golf Tournaments. For many years Bob was a member of the Greenville Track Club and served as the Race Coordinator for the Corporate Shield Running Events in the 1990’s.
Bob is survived by sisters and brother, Louise Manz of Ardmore PA, John Manz (LuciAnn) of Seeley Lake MT, and Susan Manz Hilderbrand (Rich) of Penrose CO; by nieces and nephews Thomas Manz of Kalispell MT, Katherine Manninen (David) of Johns Creek GA, Kathryn Stroup (Neal) of Philadephia PA, Erin Manz of Lexington MA, and Jonathan Manz of Bend OR as well as sister-in-law, Wendy Manz of Lexington MA; grand-niece Haley Stroup and grand-nephew Elliott Stroup. He was pre-deceased by sister, Barbara Manz and brother, Henry Manz.
As per Bob’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service. If you would like to remember Bob, please consider making a donation in Bob’s name to the Greenville Humane Society, 305 Airport Rd., Greenville, SC 29607. Other than that, pop a Bud Light, put your feet up and watch your favorite team because that’s what Bob enjoyed the most. We called him the Oracle because there were very few sports questions he couldn’t answer – he was a walking sports encyclopedia!
To plant a tree in memory of Robert Hayward Manz, please visit our Tribute Store.