WILMINGTON — On the morning of August 7, 2025, beloved husband and father, Larry McManus passed away at his home. Larry was born to Julia and David McManus on January 17, 1934 in St. Bernard, Ohio. He married Loretta Marie Voskuhl on April 30, 1960. They were married for 65 years.
Larry is survived by his wife, Loretta, and his six children, Jeff (Katy) McManus, Laurie McManus, Debbie (Carlyle) Edmundson, Gary (Janet) McManus, Steve (Julie) McManus, and John (Kim) McManus. Twenty grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He is survived by his beloved sister, Evelyn Corcoran, and preceded in death by his brothers, Howard McManus, George McManus, and his sisters, Amelia “Cookie” Speed, and Miriam “Babe” Speed.
Larry attended Roger Bacon High School and after graduation joined the Navy, stationed in Guam. Afterward, he served in the Naval Reserves. Larry worked for Western Electric / AT&T for over 50 years, serving as City Steward for the Communication Workers of America (CWA). Larry also owned and operated Aardvark Electric with his life-long friend, Tom Bruhn.
Larry blessed his children with a lifelong love of the outdoors. He took his six children fishing, boating, hiking and camping from Lake Michigan to Cape Hatteras. When his company offered a transfer to Colorado or North Carolina, Larry wanted the mountains. But when asked, his six kids were screaming “beach!” Putting his children’s wishes above his own, the family moved to Wilmington, NC in 1976. From surf fishing to canoeing, to teaching his grandchildren how to catch crabs from the neighborhood dock, not one of us will ever be able to look at the ocean and not think of our beloved Dad and Grandpa.
Funeral Mass will be 9:00am Monday, August 18, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 6650 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington NC, 28412, with military honors. Reception to follow in the church hall. Private inurnment will be in the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary Catholic Church Columbarium, Wilmington, NC.
