C. MANCHEE FRANK

FRANK C. MANCHEE After 90 years of great health and one year raging against the cancer that slowly consumed him, Frank Charles went, not so gently, on December 12, 2004 ­ just seven weeks after his spouse of 57 years, Charmian (Vaughan) Manchee. He was the loved dad of Patti (deceased 1988), Peter, Melanie (Peter Love), Alan (Beverly Bradley Manchee) and Denny (Eitan Cornfield); adored 'Deucie' of Charmian, Colin, Gage, Gaelan and Allison Love; Roslyn and Gillian Manchee; and Charlotte and Joseph Cornfield; Senior member of the Manchee clan; brother of Charles P Manchee; predeceased by brothers . Laurie and Ralph Manchee, largerthan-life uncle to 19 Manchee and Vaughan nieces and nephews and their spouses and children. Frank was a very proud naval veteran, serving in the Royal Canadian Navy on convoy duty for three years in the most crucial, protracted and bitterly contested campaign of World War Two, the Battle of the North Atlantic. While he retired from the senior ser vice in 1945 as Lieutenant Commander, RCNVR, he remained a navy man for life. Frank's vocation was corporate finance, but his avocation was contributing to the local and global community. During his decades of service, he was a founding member of the Toronto Zoo, chair of the Planning Committee of the Toronto Board of Trade, one of the early contributors to water safety regulations across Canada as a member of the National Safety Council, and an advisor to the Department of Defence on Arctic sovereignty and homeland security. His tenure as National President of the Naval Officers Association of Canada was marked by the creation of a strong diplomatic bond with the American Naval Reserve, for which he was recognized repeatedly by both organizations. He was a man of passions and encyclopedic knowledge: builder (graph paper and sharp pencils his ready allies in the fight to organize a chaotic world), geneologist, sailor, naturalist, flag aficionado, and collector of historical maps. A legendary list man, his epics on opening and closing the cottage reflect a ferocious penchant for detail and doing things right ­ sloppy was not part of his vocabulary. Every paddle had a number and a corresponding spot on the boathouse wall, every tool was carefully outlined on the pegboard for easy retrieval and replacement ­ and he protested often and vociferously that' Nobody ever puts things BACK!' He was beloved of tots for his banjo tickle game ('That'll be 87 cents'), and had a soothing touch with babes, marching them to sleep in long, even strides, humming 'Road to the Isles.' He tied knots with alacrity, danced like Astaire and wowed generations around the campfire with his peerless and booming rendition of 'Old Glen Warple.' A Scotch man to the end ­ 'one-third Scotch, two-thirds water, NO ICE' ­ Frank will be remembered for his leadership, craftsmanship, commander's voice and the twinkle in his eye. After cremation, his ashes will be brought to his beloved Muskoka, where he spent so many happy times from infancy to his 90th birthday party in the summer of 2003. Peter, Melanie, Alan and Denny and their families gratefully decline flowers, but express their enormous appreciation to all who visited the hospital ­ again and again ­ and all who supported them in so many ways along the difficult path. Final Farewell will be held on Saturday, December 18 at 3 pm at HMCS York, 659 Lakeshore Blvd. West (easiest access eastbound from the CNE on Lakeshore Blvd). For further directions, please call Humphreys Funeral Home 416-487-4523.