Mannie Allen Lasiter

And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln

We mourn the passing of Mannie Allen Lasiter, 63, after a short but ferocious battle with cancer he died with his family by his bedside on June 28, 2004. Mannie was born in Brummit, Arkansas on April 23, 1941 and was raised in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Following graduation from Old Main High School in 1959 he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and served two years active duty and four years in the U.S. Naval Reserves, during this time he developed a love of travel and the sea. After he returned home from the Navy, Mannie attended Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway, Arkansas. Mannie spent most of this working career in the construction industry. He founded Lasiter Asphalt Maintenance, now Lasiter Construction Company and retired three years ago. He was a Christian and of the Baptist faith. Mannie’s plan to tour America’s waterways ultimately ending in the Bahamas was cut short by cancer. He set sail leaving behind fiancé Lynn Pumphry; daughter Christy Schmidt and husband, Mark, granddaughter, Anna, of Cincinnati, Ohio; son, Michael Lasiter and wife, Caroline, granddaughters, Leslie and Hannah, of Little Rock; daughter, Holly Woprice and husband, David, grandson, Mason and granddaughter, Emma Grace, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his mother, Amy Smith Lasiter, father, Roy Lasiter, brother, Billy Lasiter. He is survived by five siblings, sister, Peggy Lasiter, brother, Dwayne and wife, Laura Lasiter, brother, Tommy and wife Pam Lasiter, sister Sandra and husband, Jerry Simmons, brother Ronnie and wife, Susan Lasiter; five nieces and two nephews and friends around the world.

Mannie’s one request upon his death was to have his remains permanently placed in the ocean in a living reef, his last wish will be carried out, his remains will rest in the ocean to help save our environment but his spirit will rest in our hearts. He left this world with dignity and the love and respect of all who knew him, we will miss him every day of our lives but find solace in knowing he has left this world of pain and lives in heaven.

The family wishes that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the following: Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC) or the American Diabetes Association. The family wishes to thank both the loving and skilled staff of UAMS and Arkansas Hospice in North Little Rock, we could not have asked for better care for Mannie.

Please join us for a celebration of his life at the North Little Rock Funeral Home Chapel, 10:00 A.M., Friday, July 2, 2004. Family will receive friends from 4:30 to 6:30 P.M., Thursday at North Little Rock Funeral Home, 921 Main, 758-1170, online obituary and guest register at www.northlittlerockfuneralhome.com.