Yolanda Manyak

Yolanda Manyak, age 95, passed away on July 27th She was our Loving Mother, (Great) Grandmother, sister and wife. She was predeceased by her infant daughter Georgina, husband of 60 years George Manyak Sr. and her granddaughter Riley Nicole Manyak. She left behind her children: Michelle/Ron Ridge (NC), George/Laura Manyak (CA), Mike/Rhonda Manyak (FL) and Holly Manyak/Dominique Stroobant (Italy). Grand Kids: Ashley & Chris Durusky, Ryan & Amanda Ridge, Greg & Amanda Manyak, Kristin Manyak, Jenny Manyak, Candice Manyak & Chris Bernhardy, Corey Manyak Great Grand Kids: Bella Manyak, Avery and Declan Durusky, Owen and Connor Ridge. Along with brother Ruben & Beverly Gerzeny, sister Katherine Zoppelt, sister-in-law Julie Manyak and numerous nieces and nephews. Yolanda's Long Life and Legacy in a Short Summary: She was born on March 13th 1927 the 9th of 12 children in Cleveland OH. She grew up learning to work hard within her big family at her fathers’ grave stone, moving business and the family farm in the summer. She became the first one in her family to graduate from college: Bowling Green State Univ., where she met her future husband of 60 years, George Manyak Sr. They married after graduation in 1950 and worked closely together running a Dairy Queen in Cleveland. He went on to the car business, they resided in Parma then Brecksville, she gave birth to daughter Michelle, and sons G.C. and Mike. They moved to Norwalk OH in 1961 where daughter Holly was born. Yolanda became an elementary school teacher there, while raising 4 kids. As the wife of the local Ford dealer, she loved giving back to the community and church. She also played women's softball, became an avid golfer, and was the Elks club champion one year. In the summer of 1972, Mom and Dad loaded up Mike, Holly and the family's dog/cat into the station wagon followed closely by Mich and GC in their Maverick. Moving everyone to Rotonda West Florida was a bold move considering there were only about 100 families living there at the time. The future grand plan of the "City in the Round" included 5 golf courses and a Marina with gulf access. The first few summers included future son-in-law Ron and some of GC’s friends living there too. All of which Yolanda enjoyed and was happy to accommodate. She taught school for a short while then went into real estate at Key Agency; aptly handling rentals and sales. A good cook, she loved her Hungarian recipes and shared dishes with the neighbors. They made great friends there while George partnered with a Chrysler dealer on a car lot property in Englewood FL. They owned and operated the car lot Englewood Auto Sales until selling it in 2001. In Yolanda's spare time, while always the involved grandma; she knitted, sewed and reupholstered furniture. Somehow found time to be the accountant for her investment club for several years. Yo let George drive the golf cart down Oakland Hills Court for their regular Sunday round. They ended up living there blissfully for 38 years in Rotonda even with no gulf access and only 2 golf courses. With her dear husband George's passing in 2010, Yolanda soon sold the big house and purchased a cozy bungalow in Venice FL. She was near Mike and Rhonda, who worked hard to remodel the house and make it a home for her. She enjoyed her upholstery/sewing room and gardening in the backyard. She was accompanied by her loving cat Putter and dog Gidget. After a few years, she decided at age 90 it was time to get more attention in a senior living setting. With her sister Betty's encouragement and everyone's help Yolanda sold the house. She lived independently in her apartment with Gidget, and made friends, enjoyed playing cards and hallway bowling. She was active in crafts, knitting booties and beanies for newborns. She became proficient at reading lips and went to church nearly every Sunday. At the start of Covid, she hand sewed masks for staff and residents. After recommendation of the facility, she moved into the assisted living area to receive more care. Shortly after that in October '21, Mich and Ron welcomed her into their home in Durham NC. They were able to give her special attention in their loving family home, where she got to spend time with her grand and great grandkids (and their dogs). She passed away peacefully on Wednesday July 27th. We are happy that she and our father are now reunited. We will all miss her and remember her as the wonderful person she was.