EMANUEL "MANNY" ABRABEN

ABRABEN,
EMANUEL 'MANNY'
Emanuel 'Manny' Abraben, AIA, RIBA, 89, of Ocala, Florida, passed away at home on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 surrounded by his loving family.
Born in Brooklyn, New York on February 11, 1929 to the late Aaron and Anna (Gitzowitz) Abraben, Manny was the beloved Abraben family patriarch affectionately known as 'Papa'. He was a man of many accomplishments as an architect, artist, photographer, author, businessman, and college professor. He studied architecture at Columbia University in New York City, and thereafter became a member of the American Institute of Architects. In 1975, he was honored with an invitation to become a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Manny established the global architectural firm Abraben Architects in Miami, Florida in the 1950s, specializing in the design of commercial and residential buildings. His architectural legacy includes the design of luxury hotels and condominiums along the Florida coast, the building of a teaching hospital in Nigeria, and the design and rebuilding of the village of Spitak, Armenia following the tragic earthquake of 1988. He won numerous architectural design awards over the span of his career. Manny was the author of two books including Resort Hotels: Planning and Management and Point of View: the Art of Architectural Photography. He also authored a series of articles for the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel about the Islands of the Caribbean entitled 'String of Pearls'. In his retirement, Manny designed and taught a pre-architectural program at Central Florida Community College, and provided continuing education courses for licensed architects. He had a passion for photography and enjoyed sailing his boat, the Naiad.
Manny was predeceased by his parents as well as his twin brother, Alvin.
He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 31 years, Roberta (Nye) Abraben; son Dr. Reeve Abraben; daughter Dr. Sharon Cooper Carpenter (William); grandchildren Lane Abraben, Lindsay Abraben Teeters (Steven), and Logan Abraben; cousins Stephen and Barbara Burr, and Dr. David Bressler; sister-in-laws Patricia Nye, Lia Nye (John Saracco), and Elizabeth French (Benson Lilly); nieces Claudia Recker (Richard), Susan Madden (Dr. Michael Madden), Mary-Helen Holland (Dan), Kathleen Amburgy (T.J.), and Rebecca French; nephew Jonathan French; close friends Clive and Jean Grant of England; and his precious fur babies Cookie and Sophie Abraben.
We wish to thank Dr. Ali Nasser, and the doctors, nurses, and staff at Munroe Regional Hospital and Hospice of Marion County for the compassionate care and support provided to Manny and the Abraben family during this most difficult time. We are deeply grateful to each of you for your gift of service.
A celebration of Manny's life will be held on Saturday, July 28th, 11:30 AM at the Abraben home in Ocala. A memorial
service will be given by Chaplain John Meyer, Retired Air Force. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Marion County, PO Box 4860, Ocala, Fl., 34478-4860, or the Humane Society of Marion County, 701 NW 14th Rd., Ocala, Fl., 34475.