Paul Manz

How privileged I feel to have heard this great man work his magic on the organ the times he came to the San Diego area. I met him, personally, at a reception after a concert and I was amazed at the humble, modest nature of this great artist. I asked him for his autograph that day and it is one of my most cherished treasures along with several recordings of his organ music.

He was and always will remain a great inspiration to this organist of a small southeran California congregation.

My prayers and deepest sympathy go out to his family and loved ones.

My thoughts and prayers are with you at the death of Paul Manz. Just knowing he is with the Father and no longer with us, leaves a void in my life. I'm sure he is sitting with JS Bach and they are comparing notes, with Paul simplyifing the music. Although I didn't know him personally, I felt a closeness to him via his music that I frequently play. May God give you strength and peace during this difficult time.

I knew Paul first through his music. Later as a seminary student he taught theology through the music he shared with us. I was priveldged as a pastor to welcome him to bless and dedicate a new organ in my sanctuary. His humor, laughter and joy are eclipsed only by his talent at the bench. Blessed are we who have known him, blessed is he now at home with Christ.

Although I did not know the man Paul Manz, I certainly knew his music and appreciated his compositions so much. He was able to compose music that even an "average" organist could play and sound very accomplished. This year when I pull out some of his Christmas music I will remember this very remarkable musician. You as a family have my sympathy in your loss.

Although I did not know the man Paul Manz, I certainly knew his music and appreciated his compositions so much. He was able to compose music that even an "average" organist could play and sound very accomplished. This year when I pull out some of his Christmas music I will remember this very remarkable musician. You as a family have my sympathy in your loss.

My life was touched by his music in more ways than I can say. He taught me about hymn playing, and to inspire congregational singing. From the first time I heard one of his Hymn Festivals at Atonement Lutheran in Florissant, Missouri, I knew that I was listening to something, someONE, special. His music will continue to inspire, to draw people closer to God through worship. May God give comfort to those who mourn. Soli Deo Gloria!

He literally kept me in school - I was ready to leave. Oh, how I wish I could have been there for the Memorial Service. He (and Ruth) WILL be missed! (Dale Fisk, Pleasant Hill, MO)

Paul's gift of loving the people he served while molding their ears and hearts through incredible artistry and imagination at the keyboard has been and will continue to be a witness to all of us who continue to serve in our own corner of God's vineyard. Inspiring, uplifting, gentle, intelligent and a winsome personality all belong to Paul Manz. His gift was immense and generously given to others. Our present from God was Paul Manz.

To study organ from Paul was one of the great blessings of my life. To know and love him as a friend to my family and me was even greater. And to be counted along with this humble and faithful redeemed child of God as fellow citizens of heaven and saints of God is the greatest of all.
Revelation 14:13
Our love and sympathy.

Not only could Dr. Manz play an organ with Holy Breath, he could laugh with Holy Breath. We once did an entire synod assembly with the theme of Celebrating Laughter as a Gift from God. He made the organ laugh. He and I were so excited about what the Holy Spirit had worked in worship that our eyes filled with tears. With Dr. Manz's death, we laugh with him in the face of death because of the victory that is his in the Resurrection. Alleluia! Dick Hardel, Montana

Thank-You Dr. Manz for your heavenly gift of music that you have given us

To the Manz family,
The world will surely miss this great talented, musical and spritual man.
Our family attended Mt. Olive during the 1950's and recall with fond memories the wonderful seasonal pageants in which we all participated in that were wonderfully orchestrated by Paul.
My father's membership even goes back to his youth.
We were all members of the choir and considered Paul and his family as personal friends over the years. We will carry those memories in our hearts forever.
Thank you Paul Manz.
George & Laura Johnson,Rockville,Md.
Richard, Santa Barbara,Ca.
Roger, Denton Tx.
Ralene Sliter, Kalispell,Mt.
Rianne Willey, Herndon,Va.
Randel, Potomac,Md.

I really loved Paul a lot. Besides his outstanding career, Paul was a fine man....a fine Christian! He was intelligent, kind, thoughtful, caring and he had a great sense of humor. I learned so much from Paul and Ruth's examples in my life. They both had such loving, gentle spirits. I will miss them dearly... until we meet again. And then we will ALL be able to play organ just as beautifully as Paul Manz.

Paul Manz has been an inspiration to organists like me for decades. What a marvelous heavenly chorus he is leading now! I give thanks to God that I was able to study with Paul, but even more to know him as a man of God and a model of faith. Soli Deo Gloria!

Thank you, Dr. Manz for sharing with us a foretaste of the feast to come through your monumental contribution to church music in our time, thank you.

Prayers to the Manz Family from the Van Pelt Family

His music lives on. We were all blessed to have such a musical talent in our community.
-The Lillestrand family

Paul was a gift from God to all of us who love sacred music. It was my privilege to welcome him to D.C., not only for hymn festivals on the Beckerath organ at Christ Lutheran Church, but also for the 1985 Luther Festival, for which he played the Jongen Symphonie Concertante at the Kennedy Center. As the conductor for that occasion, it was a joy to work with Paul; the National Symphony members were impressed with his musicianship and his virtuoso performance. The world has been richer because of Paul's life.

My recollections of Mr. Manz go back to the late 1930s. He and my Father were at River Forest at the same time. While Paul played the organ, my Father pumped the bellows that pushed air through the pipes. They had to work together; my Dad took his job very seriously. Since that time my Dad moved to St. Louis and raised a family. I, in turn, moved to the Cities and listened to Paul play the organ sans the bellows. Funny how everything comes full circle.

I remember Paul as the Dad of fellow students at Lutheran High School of Minneapolis. I remember attending some of his concerts and hearing him play when I attended church at Mt. Olive he was blessed with great talent and we were all blessed by knowing him and hearing him play. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

I remember hearing Paul Manz in Appleton at a Hymn festival. He played most of the service without music in front of him, which showed his improvisational skills. I was simply in awe of his ability to improvise. I love his compositions and play them for services often. He may not physically be with us but his prescence will continue in his music worship for many years to come!

To the family of Paul Manz, It was a blessed privilege to know Paul even though not so personally through The American Guild of Organists while I was Administrative Assistant at National Headquarters and again through The Twin Cities Chapter. He was an inspiration to me and enriched my love for the church and church music.

Peace and love...from the first note I heard Paul play on the new Schlicker
organ (in the 60's) at Mount Olive to the final hymn festival he presented at House of Prayer Lutheran church in Richfield, his life was an inspiration to me and thousands of other church musicians. It was a life of worship and praise...."Soli Dei Gloria"

To Paul's family,
My heart goes out to you, as the world has lost a truly amazing man.
I owe my love and appreciation of organ music to Paul, having been
introduced to him by my mother and father, Helen & Ben Baesler, at
the ripe age of 3 years old. He picked me up and placed me beside
him on the organ bench of this huge and majestic instrument. He was my Mom's choir director many, many years ago at Emanuel
Lutheran Church in St. Paul, but thankfully I was able to reconnect
with him on several occasions in San Francisco, and one very special
Reformation Sunday when I sang in the choir while he was guest
organist at my church in Sacramento, Ca., Town & Country Lutheran.
I will forever hold his memory close and very dear to my heart. The
heavens are truly alive and thundering with beautiful music!
Carol Baesler Poindexter