George Mano

would describe their beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, colleague and

friend, George Mano.

George passed away peacefully on Feb. 11, 2022, 12 days short of his 92nd birthday,

and was fortunate to have his immediate family beside him during the last days of

his life.

George was born in Seattle to Kikujiro and Riki (Goto) Mano, the youngest of three

children. His father owned the Earlington Greenhouses, where George, trying to

keep up with older sister Kiyoko and older brother Toshio, learned the value of hard

work in the family business.

When George was ten years old, he tragically lost his mother to illness. His father

later re-married Tase (Takahashi) Mano.

George attended Bryn Mawr and Henry Ford elementary schools, and in the sixth

grade, his family was forcefully evacuated to Pinedale (Fresno) Assembly Center and

then Tule Lake and Minidoka incarceration camps during World War II. After the

war, George returned to Seattle and in 1951, was drafted into the US Army, and

served in the 24th Infantry Division in Korea.

In 1955, George married Irene Fujii, and they moved to Los Angeles, where he

worked at Douglas Aircraft. Three years later, they moved back to Seattle, where

George graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in Electrical

Engineering and accepted a job at Boeing, where he worked for 32 years.

A highlight of George’s career at Boeing was his work on the lunar orbiter, which

sent back the first ever pictures of the earth and the moon, finding the landing sites

for the Apollo moon missions.

An active member of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Church, George served as a board

member, and had a leadership role in the planning and construction of the Wisteria

View Manor. He was heavily involved in his childrens’ church-sponsored activities--

Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts, and drum and bugle corps.

George liked gardening, fishing, razor clam digging, matsutake (mushroom) hunting,

and relaxing at the family retreat on Hood Canal. He and Irene loved cruises,

traveling with friends to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and throughout Europe.

He played sports and as an avid fan, spent many hours following the UW Huskies,

Seahawks, Mariners and Sonics.

George will be remembered for his gentle demeanor, quick smile and total

dedication to his large family. He was always there, accepting and supportive, the

calm presence in a lively household. George did all this with his usual soft-spoken

and selfless manner, never running out of time for his family.

When his grandchildren began arriving in 1994, George enjoyed going to all their

baseball games, swim meets, water polo games, ultimate Frisbee, orchestra, vocal

jazz, dance performances and graduations. As a proud grandpa, he never seemed to

get tired of watching his grandchildren grow and flourish.

George is survived by his wife Irene, daughters Stephanie Mano, Charlene (Eugene)

Mano Shen, Leslie (Richard) Matsuda, and Andrea Mano, and son Mark (Lisa White)

Mano, and six grandchildren (Marina and Corey Mano, Kyle and Daniel Matsuda,

Aaron Ramos and Gabriel Shen).

He is preceded in death by his father Kikujiro, mother Riki, stepmother Tase, sister

Kiyoko Miyahara, brother Toshio Mano.

A life celebration is planned for a later date. Donations can be made to the Seattle

Betsuin Buddhist Church, Nisei Veterans Committee in Seattle, or the charity of your

choice.