>> that's life
A Navy Man
All The Way
He "loved every minute."
Sue Pearl
Special to the Jewish News
U
pon meeting 90-year-old Ery
Manson and his daughter,
Debbie, it was easy to see that
he had a real zest for life. Even though
when I interviewed him, he was at
Danto Health Care Center in West
Bloomfield recuperating
from his latest hospital
stay; it didn't diminish
the twinkle in his eye
when he spoke about his
life and especially about
his time in the Navy.
"Back in the day, I
would try anything
once said Erv. "I tried
to have as many adven-
tures as I could cram
Ery Manson
into one lifetime
Born Sept.12, 1921, in
Buhl, Minn., Ery was the youngest of
two sisters and one brother. His fam-
ily moved to Michigan when he was
6 months old. He grew up in Detroit,
attending Central High School and
Wayne State University. Before
deciding to join the Navy, Ery did
printing work as a lithographer.
"I really enjoyed being a pilot in
the Navy?' said Erv, who began his
Navy career in 1942 and served for
four years. "When I first learned
how to fly, I tried to land too fast.
Mishaps always happen when any-
one learns to fly, and I was no excep-
tion. I ended up in the hospital for
42 days. I broke some bones and I
was a real mess. After that, I learned
to fly pretty well and I loved every
minute of it.
"Flying up in the sky on your
own is scary in the beginning, but
then you get used to it. The worst
thing that ever happened to me was
when my engine got shot at. I tried
to make it to my base, but my plane
crashed into the river. I was very
lucky because I was rescued imme-
diately."
Even though Ery insisted that he
was constantly getting into trouble,
he earned the Navy Good Conduct
Medal for outstanding performance.
"If the flight leader said to go west,
then I would go east," joked-Erv, who
years later in July 2008 was honored
with an all-expense-paid trip to
Washington D.C. by the nonprofit
organization Honor Flight Michigan.
"When our group stepped off the
plane at the airport in Washington
D.C., we received a standing ovation
and a lot of applause?' said Erv, who,
with 54 other World War II Vets,
spent the day touring the World War
II National Memorial and Arlington
Cemetery. "It truly was the best day
of my life!"
Ery met his wife,
Shirley, a few years after
returning from the Navy.
"I took one look at her,
and I knew?' said Erv,
who met Shirley at his
brother Buddy's wedding.
"I pointed my finger at
her and said, 'You're the
one!' We got married
six months later and
we were married for 61
years?'
Ery and Shirley raised their
two children, Debra and Walter, in
northwest Detroit. They moved to an
apartment in Farmington after their
children grew up.
"Shirley loved to shop, and we
loved to travel together?' said Erv,
who traveled to many places includ-
ing London, Hawaii and Alaska. "For
our 80th birthdays, our children
took us on a trip to Las Vegas. I
loved to gamble, and I usually man-
aged to break even. Shirley was the
winner in the family, and my son,
Walter, loved to gamble with us, too?'
Ery became a devoted caregiver
when Shirley became ill. "I really
didn't mind helping out with the
cooking and cleaning," said Erv,
whose cherished wife passed away
four years ago.
Up until recently, for the last
five years Ery lived at Hectman I
Apartments in West Bloomfield.
He was there during the fire in
April 2008 when the Hectman II
Apartment complex was damaged.
Although his apartment was not
affected by the fire, his sister Ruth's
apartment was. He invited Ruth to
live with him for a couple of months
while her complex was being reno-
vated. "That is the kind of guy my
dad turned out to be ... very nur-
turing and caring?' said Debbie.
Here's wishing Ery a speedy recov-
ery with room for another adven-
ture. ❑
TRUEMU
Jewish Studies
Welcomes
Senator Carl Levin
Thursday, February 23
3:15 PM
EMU Student Center
Ballroom A
•Named one of 'America's 7 0 Best
Senators" by Time magazine
•Chair of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, Chair of the Senate
Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations, Co-Chair of the
Senate Great Lakes Task Force, and
Co-Chair of the Senate Auto Caucus
emich.edu
EASTERN
tiGAN uNivERsrry
Jewish Education First
February 16 2012
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