Obituary for Terry Richard Manwell

Terry Richard Manwell, age 77, of Saginaw, passed away Saturday, January 13, 2024, in Midland, Michigan. The son of Dr. Henry and Mary Martha (Golibart) Manwell, Terry was born September 19, 1946, in Saginaw. He married Kathleen Nolan on August 16, 1980, and together they shared 43 years of marriage and three children who were the pride and joy of his life.

Terry was a graduate of Delta College (AA), Western Michigan University (BA, MS) and Detroit College of Law (JD). He began his career as a counselor/social worker at Catholic Family Services of Bay County where he often facilitated adoptions. Finding the slow pace of social work frustrating, he soon left to attend law school, and afterward began his career in public service. A brief stint in the Saginaw City Attorney’s Office led to a position at the Saginaw County Prosecutor’s Office where he ran the Office of Paternity and Child Support. Amid years of budget cuts, he picked up the slack himself. At annual conferences he would often learn that his office’s volume and efficiency ranked among the highest of Michigan’s 83 counties, a statistic he was proud of. All to the benefit of Saginaw County’s children.

In addition to his legal career, Terry had a second career in the military, of which he was most proud. It began in 1968 when he enlisted in the Army after college graduation, serving in Korea. During law school he returned to the military, joining the Coast Guard Reserve. His love of boats and the water prompted him to continue for many years, eventually retiring as an officer in 2006. His love of sailing was a constant thread throughout his life, and included racing Lightnings on the Saginaw Bay in the 1980s.

A voracious reader with a passion for history and political science, Terry was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, serving on the Saginaw County Democratic Executive Board for 20+ years and as Party Chairman at various points; but he was just as comfortable cleaning up the kitchen after a fundraising event, often one of the last to leave. He worked on numerous political campaigns, including the gubernatorial campaigns of Sander Levin (1974) and Jim Blanchard (1982, 1986, 1990) and the Congressional campaign of Bob Traxler (1974).

A lifelong athlete, Terry was a member of the men’s tennis teams while at Delta College and Western Michigan University. He went on to coach generations of high school athletes in men’s tennis at St. Mary’s High School, women’s volleyball at Arthur Hill High School, and both men’s tennis and women’s volleyball at Nouvel Catholic Central, often winning district and regional titles. He loved coaching young people, and was named Saginaw News Dream Team Volleyball Coach of the Year, along with his long-time friend and coaching partner, Joe Polzin. While volleyball was always his favorite sport, in later life he also took up fencing and Tai Chi, and recently pickleball.

Terry’s other passion was the theater, enjoying both professional and community level productions. This past September he was able to return to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario for the first time since the Covid pandemic, which gave him great satisfaction. Many friends who attended local shows with him claimed he never saw a play he didn’t like, though his real goal was to get others to support local productions, no matter how avant garde or unusual. His community involvement also included membership and leadership in many organizations, including Holy Family Catholic Church where he was an usher and council member, the Lions Club, the Salvation Army Board, the ARC Board, the Jaycees, Saginaw County Public Guardian Committee, and a lifelong membership at the YMCA.

A man of restless energy, in retirement he continued to take courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program at SVSU on topics ranging from Bridge Bidding to Mindfulness, the Supreme Court, and the History of God. He was always curious, always learning.

Terry loved sports cars, Great Lakes and Florida beaches, and rooting for the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions. He was thrilled to see U of M win another Rose Bowl and National Championship, and was cautiously optimistic about the Lions’ chances this year. He was unapologetically himself and will be remembered by friends and family as a loving and loyal man who always tried to do what was right, and also liked to have a good time.

Terry is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy Manwell; loving children, Colleen (Samuel Rudman) Manwell and Alex Manwell; grandson, Winston Rudman; siblings, Mary Agnes (John) Manwell-Jackson, and John Manwell; several nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Paige Frances Manwell, his parents, and his brother, Henry “Jim” Manwell.

Memorial Visitation will take place Friday, May 17, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. until time of Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1525 S. Washington Ave., Saginaw, MI 48601. Rev. Fr. Adam Mahar will officiate. A luncheon will follow.

Memorials in honor of Terry may be made to the Saginaw YMCA, where he enjoyed a lifetime of sports and friendship, or to Holy Family Catholic Church.

For information, please call Fischer Family Funeral Services at (989) 755-8277. To express your condolences, please visit www.fischerfuneral.com.

Memorial Visitation

MAY 17. 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (ET)

Holy Family Catholic Church

1525 S. Washington Ave

Saginaw, MI 48601

Memorial Mass

MAY 17. 11:00 AM (ET)

Holy Family Catholic Church

1525 S. Washington Ave

Saginaw, MI 48601

St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery

381 ST. ANDREWS ROAD

Saginaw, MI 48638