Elmer Martin Mantey's Obituary
Elmer Martin Mantey peacefully entered the presence of his Savior on January 26, 2016, at the age of eighty-nine. Born in Malone, Texas on July 20, 1926, to Edward and Margaret (Grace) Tiede Mantey, he spent his early years in rural Hill County, graduated from high school in 1943, in Houston, Texas, and enrolled in Rice Institute (now Rice University) just before his seventeenth birthday. Wishing to serve his country in World War II, he interrupted college to join the United States Navy in July, 1944. He underwent Boot Camp training in San Diego, served in the Navy Shore Patrol, and attended the San Diego Naval Hospital Corp School. Completing his term of service at the Naval Air Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, he was honorably discharged on July 4, 1946. After his sophomore year at Rice, he resumed his education at Bradley University, and in summer courses at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1947, he met his wife-to-be, Donna May Scritsmier. They were married on December 27, 1948. Minneapolis became their home for twenty years. After many years as a business leader with American Petro Chemical Corporation, in 1969 he was appointed President of American Finishing Company, and the family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. Two years later, he collaborated with the Craig-Hallum Corporation to purchase a food seasoning company, Pee Dee Company, which he renamed Flavorite Laboratories and established in Horn Lake, Mississippi. The Lord blessed this company with substantial growth over the next eighteen years. While passionate about business, he was just as committed to improving the benefits and lives of his individual employees. His professional life included leadership on the board of directors for APC, Whittaker Corporation, A.M. Todd Group, the Dupps Company, and the Craig-Hallum Corporation. He served also on the boards of Youth for Christ, Christian Couples’ Club, and membership in the Memphis Rotary Club. In retirement, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors for Crichton College for ten years. His most dedicated service was at the church he and his wife attended and loved for over thirty-five years, First Evangelical Church. He happily served on the Board of Elders, and he especially loved his extended term of service on the Missions Board, which gave him the privilege of getting to know and support missionaries throughout the world. As he believed that his relationship to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was his first and foremost responsibility, his constant prayer (and subsequent praise) was that all of his family would know and love the Lord. His life verses were Roman 8:28-39, and he is now “more than a conqueror through Him that loved” him. He loved anticipating the next big trip or business challenge, but he also knew how to appreciate the simple joys of life by sharing jokes, golfing and fishing and avidly reading the “funny papers” along with The Wall Street Journal. He treasured spending time with his family, who loved him. He was their loving and constant support, as well as a devoted friend and mentor to many. He will be greatly missed. Preceded in death by his parents, he is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Donna; his three daughters, Patricia Mantey Rooks of Memphis, Carol Mantey Callis, and son-in-law, Dr. Keith Callis of Charleston, South Carolina, and Cynthia Mantey Stockdale, and son-in-law, Reverend James Stockdale of Conway, Arkansas; six grandchildren, Sarah Stockdale Nagel (Todd), Christina Stockdale Howell (Trey), Emily Stockdale Boedeker (Kevin), Jonathan Peter Callis (Amy), Julianne Patrice Callis, Rachel Stockdale Latture (Seth); seventeen great grandchildren; six of his wife’s eight siblings, all of whom he loved dearly; and a brother, Paul Clarence Mantey and wife, Jane, of Crystal River, Florida. Visitation will be on Saturday, January 30, 2016 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the fellowship hall at First Evangelical Church, 735 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, with a memorial service to follow a 12:00 pm in the sanctuary. The Reverends Ronnie Collier Stevens and Cole Huffman will officiate. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Missions Fund of First Evangelical Church, a ministry dear to his heart. The family expresses heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Kirby Pines Providence Place and Manor for their loving care. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119. “Celebrating Life… Behind the Stone Wall”
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