Elmer August Manson Jr.

Elmer August Manson Jr.

Manchester

Elmer August Manson Jr., 91, of Manchester, Iowa, passed away August 6, 2025 at his home in Manchester surrounded by his loving family. In agreement with his wishes, cremation has taken place. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 12 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Manchester, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 8:45-10:45 am before the mass.

Elmer was born on August 17, 1933, in a small home in Oneida, Iowa, the son of Elmer Sr. and Emma (Swanson) Manson. He graduated from Dundee High School in 1950 at the age of 17. Three years later he enlisted in the United States Army. He married Doris Ann McQuillen on October 14, 1953, at St. Mary’s in Manchester, Iowa. Just 2 weeks later he left for Korea, serving for 2 years before returning home to farm with his lovely wife. Together they built a wonderful life on a farm northwest of Earlville, Iowa. They were happily married for an amazing 71 years, and together, welcomed four daughters: Cindy, Julie, Jane and René. Elmer retired from farming in 1993 when he and Doris moved to Manchester. He was known as a gentle, soft-spoken man with sparkling blue eyes. He enjoyed watching many sports and was a lifelong fan of the Detroit Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He will be fondly remembered for his quick wit, his incredible work ethic, his basketball jump shot, his talent to grow flowers, and his ability to be a sensitive, encouraging, sweet father to his four girls, making them each feel uniquely special. “A father holds his daughter’s hand for a short while, but he holds her heart forever.”

Those left to honor Elmer are his wife Doris; four children, Cindy (Bob) Freeze of Elkader, Julie (Jim) Wilson of Manchester, Jane (Ron) Dzaboff of Earlville, and René (David) Funke of Cedar Rapids; 12 grandchildren, Brian (Leah) Mensen, Scott (Andrea) Mensen, Ashley (Chris) Larkin, Troy (Roger Kim) Mensen, Megan (Bill) Demmer, Adam (Candace) Wilson, Derek (Ashley Pasker) Dzaboff, Ben (Maddie) Dzaboff, Aaron (Tristin Kuhn) Dzaboff, Ryan Funke, Morgan (Zach) Less, and Jordan Funke. He also was blessed with 17 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Leonard, Harold and Kenneth.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be live-streamed at http://blessedtrinitycluster.com.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at iowacremation.com under Obituaries.