Roger Lewis Manshel, 81, died in the arms of his wife, Lynn Hoffman Manshel, and with all his hair, on December 18, 2018. Born in 1937, he graduated from West Orange High School and went on to graduate from the University of Virginia in 1959. Roger cherished his family and friends above all things and was rewarded with an outpouring of love and support as he neared his end. The fellowship he found in Alcoholics Anonymous while maintaining his 38 years of sobriety filled him with purpose and joy. His thoughts about his mortality, expressed somewhat poetically due to aphasia, were whether he could still be “helpful” and “a server.” Starting as a teen and throughout his long life, Roger served in leadership roles for many organizations, including the Metro New Jersey Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and the AJC’s National Board of Governors, Theresa Grotta Center for Restorative Services, the Jewish Historical Society of Metrowest, Jewish Family Services, JESPY in South Orange, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, the United Way of Millburn and Short Hills, and his beloved FAMILYConnections, a nonprofit community-based counseling and family services agency that he supported for over a decade. He received the Julius Cohn Award in 1976, the AJC’s Community Leadership Award in 2008, and the FAMILYConnections Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He also served on the Township of Millburn Zoning Board and Planning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission. On the board, he was reportedly “known for being vocal and asking hard-hitting questions during hearings.” He owned and ran International Ticket Company in Newark, New Jersey for most of his life. Roger is survived by his wife Lynn, his daughter Lisa Manshel, his son Laurence Manshel, his grandchildren Daniel Francis-Manshel, Margaret Rose Manshel, and Matthew Francis-Manshel, his brother Stephen Manshel, and his daughters-in-law Kyle M. Francis and Elizabeth Cigali Manshel. The funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 21, 2018, at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, 1025 South Orange Ave., Short Hills, NJ 07078.
