Wayne C. Mann

Wayne passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, March 19th in Portage, MI.  Wayne was born July 13, 1932 in Niles, MI to Harold and Helen (Keller) Mann.  Wayne is survived by his wife of 58 years Dora Lee Mann, son, David Mann, daughter, Emily (Scott) Ritsema, grandchildren, Kiersten, Stanley and Julia Ritsema, and beloved dog, Eve.  Wayne is also survived by his sister, Marilyn VanEvery, nieces Amy (Gary) Eckert, Jane (Jerry) Mohr, Melissa (Ral) Griffin, and Sarah (Robert) Engster and their families. Wayne was born in Niles but lived in Buchanan until graduating from high school in 1950.  Wayne attended WesternMichiganUniversity receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954 and his Master of Arts (History) in 1963. Wayne taught school at Maple Grove in Muskegon between 1954 and 1956, Woodrow Wilson in Kalamazoo from 1956-1959 and Oakwood Junior High in Kalamazoo from 1960-1963.  Wayne was then appointed Field Representative for the Archives and Regional History Collections for WesternMichiganUniversity, serving from 1963-1965.  He was then promoted to Assistant Archivist from 1965-1967, and finally appointed as Archivist and Director of Regional History Collections, from which he retired as Director Emeritus in 1995. In his early years, Wayne was a member of the Boy Scout Troop in Buchanan at the  First United Methodist Church under “Unk” Slade and also enjoyed Duffy’s Sunday school class.  Wayne sang in the high school choir and worked on his high school paper as a member of the Buckhorn staff. Wayne also worked for one summer at the Center for History in South Bend, Indiana. Wayne continued his service in later years as an active member of the Kalamazoo Optimist Club.  Wayne was also a member of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, OGCA, WARF, MEA, Pathfinder Church of Portage, Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society where he served 3 years as President, and the Indiana History Society. (Wayne took a position in Records Management Group for Michigan and suggested the name “KalamazooValley” for the Genealogy Group.) Wayne was also a member of American Archivists, the Michigan Archival Association, American Association for State and Local History, American Records Management Association and the Historical Societies of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Northern Indiana. In addition to his work and group affiliations, Wayne was also used as a resource for many publications, including as a consultant for the book “When Gallantry Was Commonplace” by Leland Thornton.  Wayne was thanked many times by authors for his contributions to their works. Wayne also loved nature, especially bird watching and rock collecting, looking for “pudding” stones (conglomerates) at every opportunity.  Wayne’s favorite vacation spot was the SmokyMountains, especially Cade’s Cove, and also any battlefield of the Civil War. The family will receive friends from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at the Langeland Funeral Home, 411 East Centre, Portage, Michigan on Tuesday, March 25th.  A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at the FirstUnitedMethodistChurch, 132 South Oak, in Buchanan, Michigan at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 26th.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Wayne’s memory be made payable to the “WMU Legacy Collections – Athenaeum”, Zhang Legacy Collections, 1650 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, Mi  49008.