Melvin Sanxter McManus, age 98, died unexpectedly, but peacefully, Monday morning, July 5, 2021, at his home in Bear Creek, with family close beside him. He was born to Merton M. and Orpha Tillman McManus on October 5, 1922, in Bear Creek. He attended school at Gillespie Elementary School in Greensboro, attended Bennett School and then graduated from Bonlee High School.
Melvin served in the Army Air Corp during World War II, teaching auto mechanics at Chanute Field near Chicago, then was later stationed in the Aleutian Islands. He worked for Western Electric as machine shop supervisor for many years in Greensboro and in Winston Salem before retiring in 1983. He was an active member of Jamestown United Methodist Church for 27 years before moving back to Chatham County where he was an active member of Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church and participated often in activities at Fair Promise United Methodist Church.
Melvin is survived by his son, John Greene (Therese) of Corpus Christi, Texas; daughter, Edie Neeves (Mack) of Bear Creek, N.C.; daughter, Ann Bonagura (Mark) of Kernersville, N.C. He was blessed with 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents and his dear wife of 52 years, as well as his step-daughter, Sandra G. Wayt (widower Merritt) of Greensboro, N.C., and step-son, Robert L. Green Sr. of Bear Creek, N.C.
Melvin was the genealogist for the McManus Family, doing extensive research and collecting stories about the family. He was instrumental in the restoration of headstones and grave markers in the McManus Family Cemetery on Wilson Road in Bear Creek. The family asks that any memorials be made to Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery Fund (10891 Siler City-Glendon Rd, Bear Creek, N.C. 27207) or the McManus Family Cemetery Fund (1475 Hoyt Scott Road, Bear Creek, N.C. 27207.
A celebration of Melvin McManus’s life is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday, September 26, 2021, at Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church followed by a potluck supper and visitation in the family life center there.
