Manuel Self

Mr. Manuel Self, long-time resident of Perry, passed away on the evening of July 2, 2020. Mr. Self was preceded in death by his father Charles Edwin Self, his mother Madge Edna Self, his step father Fred Troxel, his brother Charles Self, three sisters Roberta Carter, Gladys Foley, and Wanda Ebert, brother-in-law James Holt, brother-in-law Max Holt, and his sons Bruce Edward Self and Mark Lewis Self.

Manuel’s wife, Shirley Ann Self, is a resident of Perry. His daughter and family, Marcia, Jef, J. Holt, and L. Evin Elm reside in Austin, Texas. Other living relatives include the families of Linda and Mark Dolezal of Norman, Vickie and Chuck Struble of Earlsboro, Rose Holt of Midwest City, Dale and Linda Holt of Oklahoma City, Dennis and Debbie Holt of Del City, Don and Linda Holt of Kansas City, KS, Marlene and Frank Jones of Virginia Beach, VA, and Mike and Betty Henn of Rapid City, SD.

Manuel was born on October 19, 1933 in Paden, OK. He was enrolled in thirteen different schools throughout Oklahoma before his mother and step-father settled in Billings, Oklahoma. He graduated from Billings High School in 1951. He was proud that he met his life-long sweetheart, Shirley Ann Holt, during his years in Billings. After graduating and working for a time, Manuel joined the U.S. Air Force and did his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. Manuel and Shirley were married on August 23, 1952 in Perry. They were first stationed at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY, where Manuel began his service toward the end of the Korean War. They were then stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA. Their son, Mark Lewis, was born there in April of 1954. Manuel was next stationed at Fort Belvoir in VA. While serving there, he was a member of the mechanical crew that serviced President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Air Force One aircraft in Washington DC. Manuel and Shirley’s son, Bruce Edward, was born in October of 1956 at Fort Belvoir. They remain there until late 1957. After his years in the service and in the reserves, Manuel received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force. He was very proud that he was able to serve his president and his country.

Following their time with the service, Manuel and Shirley moved to Wichita, KS, where he worked for Bowing Aircraft for a time. They then moved to Perry, where they would stay, and became active members of the First Christian Church. Daughter, Marcia Ann, was born in January, 1962 in Perry. Manuel worked as a survey party chief for the OK State Highway Department. He also surveyed for the U.S. Soil Conservation during their early years in Perry. Manuel returned to the OK Highway Department and attended college engineering courses at Oklahoma State University and Central State University. He enjoyed a long career as a field engineer for the highway department before retiring in the mid 1980’s.

During the 1970’s, Manuel and his sons built and opened the Galaxy Skating Rink in Perry. While continuing his full-time highway department position, Manuel, along with his wife and daughter, operated the skating rink six days a week for ten years. He provided much joy for the youth of Perry and surrounding areas. He loved running this “side” business and became good friends with his customers - leaving great memories for many.

Manuel was an inventive carpenter and was always working on a new building or remodeling project. He shared those skills with many friends and family members - always glad to help, when needed. He loved to boat and fish with his wife, Shirley; they had great times at Sooner Lake and traveled around to fish. They also spent a lot of time in Florida, visiting their son, Mark. Manuel was a long-time board member of the Rural Water District, #7 and worked to acquire water pipeline for areas around Sooner Lake; he became good friends with other board members during this quest.

Manuel’s main passion, for the past 19 years, has been doing things with and for his two grandchildren, J. Holt and Evin Elm. He loved spending time with them as much as possible. He also loved to design and create things for them. He built them anything he could think of - from carved stilts to an amazing playscape and adult-sized playhouse. His grandchildren brought him great joy, as he did to them. They have boundless memories full of love and laughter - wrestling with, joking with, and learning from their sweet and generous “Grampa.”

Manuel will be laid to rest at Grace Hill Cemetery in Perry near his sons. No memorial service is planned at this time, but may be scheduled for a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guestbook at www.dightonmarler.com.