Karl William Mantyla

Karl Mantyla, 81, of Grosse Pointe Woods died on June 7 at Detroit Receiving Hospital of complications from a 2016 stroke.

He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Melanie Nowc; sister, Dina Greenway; five children: K. Timothy Mantyla, Christopher (Cheryl) Mantyla, Peter (Tami) Mantyla, Drs. Andrea (Jim) Mertz, and Dr. Darren Mantyla; and six grandchildren: Dr. Chelsea (Jon) Bricker, Dr. Madison (Zack) Roth, Lindsey Mertz, Matthew Headlee, Jenna Mantyla, and Aron Mantyla.

Karl was born on June 18, 1938, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of the late Carl William Mantyla and the late Wilma (Saelman) Greenway. He spent his high school years in Sturgis, Petoskey, and Royal Oak, before graduating from Waterford Township High School.

Karl was a broadcaster, journalist, avid amateur photographer, and public relations spokesman. He announced high school sports news for WPON (Pontiac), hosted a classical music show while enrolled at the University of Detroit, and reported daily news for WAKR (Akron).

His journalism career officially began with the former Pontiac (now Oakland) Press and the Detroit Times, which folded in 1960. Karl then moved to Akron, OH, where he took a beat writing job with the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Karl and his growing family returned to Detroit in 1962 when he accepted a position with the Associated Press. With AP, Mantyla covered the Detroit riots/disturbances of ’66-’68. He was the last surviving journalist who covered the Algiers Motel Incident, made famous in a book by John Hersey. The other two were Joe Strickland of the Detroit News and Ladd Neumann of the Detroit Free Press.

After leading the Michigan portion of a nationwide strike against AP in 1969, Mantyla went to work for the United Auto Workers, becoming a 30-year fixture at its Detroit headquarters, Solidarity House. As a spokesman and journalist, he played key roles in writing, editing, and assembling their member magazines, SKILL and Solidarity. Karl also produced many contract summaries and was the first PR team member to negotiate and even sign a UAW national agreement.

Mantyla was especially proud of the exposé he wrote for Solidarity magazine, drawing attention to injuries and fatalities in the workplace. This series was reprinted in its entirety in the Congressional Record of 1970 and helped drive passage of OSHA, the landmark Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Karl was involved in numerous high-profile strikes including the California Grape Growers, Caterpillar and the Detroit Newspapers where he captained the East Side Hawkers. To raise funds for strikers, he could often be found selling the Detroit Sunday Journal with his wife Melanie and their young son Darren.

In his retirement in 1998, Karl was awarded an honorary skilled trades journeyman card designating him as a “master journalist”.

Throughout his life, Karl loved traveling, spending time with friends and family, while rarely missing an opportunity to get together. He will be dearly missed.

A funeral mass for Mr. Mantyla is scheduled for 10:00 AM Saturday, June 20, at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 23401 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to On the Rise Bakery, a Capuchin Soup Kitchen program (https://www.cskdetroit.org/more-than-about-food/).

Please continue to keep the Nowc and Mantyla family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.