Emanuel Luhn's Obituary
Emanuel Edward Luhn was born on April 18, 1925. He passed away peacefully in his home on October 23, 2018. He was 93 and quite active with a large circle of friends and family whom he saw regularly. Manny was my father.He was always a forward looking person and remained upbeat, independant, and self-reliant right up until his last moments. Among his many accomplishments, his ability to take care of himself and help others will be an inspiration to all of us.Manny grew up in Oakland with his older brother Joel in a loving household with his mother Birdie and father Morton, both of whom were born and raised in San Francisco. Manny played football in high school and was also an amateur boxer. He graduated high school a year early and went to San Jose State to study Engineering. He had a great head for math and never needed a calculator to do big number crunching. This made him a very good bridge player.World War 2 was raging when Manny began university and at age 17 he left college and enlisted in the Marine Corps. His service as a combat soldier in the Pacific was a source of pride for him. It was a tough time, and he never bragged about any of it. The service made him a determined man that never quit at anything he did. He was wounded and suffered from malaria for many years after the war, but never complained about his ordeal or any physical pain. Ever. I saw him take aspirin once, and that was after open heart surgery.He was not able to describe his war experiences until the last years of his life. He could not watch war movies, and abored the glorification of military conflict. Veterans Day was difficult for him. I have never met anyone more opposed to war than my father.After returning from the war he was extremely thin and worn out, but quite determined to marry Mildred, the girl he had dated twice and asked to marry him before leaving to fight. She agreed and the couple wed a month after his return. Being very motivated to build a life, he restored himself to health and started what became his career: toy stores.Manny and Mildy were by many accounts, the happiest couple on the planet. Inseperable, adventurous, hard working, affectionate, compatible, and always in love. They had twins, Mark and Stevie, and five years later, Jeffery was born.Stevie died at age 32, leaving behind a son and a daughter, Danny and Jamie. Fortunately, they flew out from Florida to visit him a month before his passing. This was a great treat for him. Manny was a great husband and father. He was also a very attentive son, visiting his parents on a daily basis as they aged.Manny and Mildy worked side by side, golfed together, and traveled extensively. When Mildy was diagnosed with cancer, Manny retired early and spent what remained of their life together having fun. Luckily, it lasted 16 more years. Those were great times. Mildy passed away at age 64.A few years passed and Manny returned to a social life and began a loving relationship with Peggy Brodie, that lasted until his death. They lived together, traveled, and enjoyed active friendships with many wonderful people. The intermingling of the two families was a real joy for them.Manny loved family. He is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. Then there are the additional kids of blended families and the many employees that loved him as a father figure. In short, Manny was the patriarch of a very big clan.In summary, Manny lived life to the fullest. He created a chain of toy stores that employed hundreds of people, always led by example, became an accomplished golfer, educated himself on world affairs, mentored his children, visited numerous continents, and enhanced the lives of everyone he came into contact with. We will miss him. But so much of him resides in us that he will never be entirely gone. That’s the legacy of Emanuel “Manny” Edward Luhn.
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