Richard Michael Maniag's Obituary
Richard Michael “Dick” “Rich” Maniag, age 85, died on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at The
Crossings Retirement Community in League City, Texas, under the care of Divinity Hospice. Richard was
the third of four children born to Michael and Marion Cecelia (Rogalla) Maniag on June 30, 1938, in
Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wisconsin.
Richard graduated from Grafton High School in 1956. He joined the United States Air Force on
August 15, 1956. He served as a Ground Communications Equipment Repairman in the 727 th Aircraft
Control and Warning Squadron at Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina until his honorable discharge on
August 14, 1960. After the military, Richard worked for RCA at NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida, before
moving to Houston to work for Philco-Ford at Johnson Space Center. While working at NASA. Richard
worked on Project Mercury, the Gemini Program, the Apollo Program, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test
Project.
Richard is survived by his niece, Kristin (Jesion), and husband, Craig Strom of Lake Forest, Illinois;
great-nieces, Morgan, Anne, and Marina Strom, and great-nephew, Spencer Strom; his stepdaughter,
Deborah (Powell) Cole of League City, Texas; stepson, Jeffrey Martin and wife, Heather (Gray) Powell of
Chandler, Texas, stepson, Kelly Lawrence Powell of Spring, Texas; and six step-grandchildren. He
addition, he is also survived by his former spouse, Patricia “Patsy” (Ponce) Garcia of Houston, Texas.
Richard is predeceased by his wife of 31 years, Joan Anita (Jaeger) Maniag; his parents, his sister,
Elizabeth Ann (Maniag) Jesion; his brother, Gerald Vincent Maniag; and his younger sister, Marilynn Jean
(Maniag) Taylor.
Richard never met a stranger. He was funny, compassionate, generous, and was always willing
to help others, especially his neighbors. If you needed help with something, he would teach you how to
fix it instead of just doing it for you. He could fix anything from cars to lawnmowers to plumbing to
electrical work. Richard was always working on a project. Whether it was tinkering with a clock to get it
running or planting things in his garden or fixing something in one of his rental properties. He loved his
tools many of which were passed down from his father.
The family would like to thank the staff and nurses at The Crossings, and HCA Clear Lake for
taking such loving care of Richard. Thank you to Dr. Farooq Cheema with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Richard’s
pulmonologist, who treated him over the last two years. A special thank you goes out to Dr. Yang Zhou
with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Richard’s oncologist, who stayed in touch with the family over the last two
months checking on Richard’s progress. And lastly, a big thank you to Kimberly Bacot and Wade Stringer
for helping take care of Richard over the last two months. Your tireless assistance and loving care were
appreciated greatly.
Visitation will be Thursday, January 4, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a 30-minute
prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at South Park Funeral Home, 1310 North Main Street, Pearland, TX 77581. A
Funeral Mass, officiated by Fr. John Rooney will be held Friday, January 5, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Mary
of the Expectation Catholic Church, 1612 E. Walker Street, League City, TX 77573. Interment will follow
at South Park Cemetery, 1310 North Main Street, Pearland, TX 77581. In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations in memory of Richard can be made to the American Lung Association online at action.lung.org
or the American Cancer Society online at donate.cancer.org.
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