Galen Manapat

Galen Placido Manapat of Lexington, South Carolina passed away unexpectedly from injuries sustained from a traffic collision on October 23, 2020. He was 73 years old. Galen was born in Manhattan, New York on October 2, 1947 and was the son of Bonifacio Placido Manapat and Irma Roerig Clark.

After graduating from Pompano Beach High School in 1965 he served as a Radarman in the United States Navy from 1965 to 1968; upon completing his military service he spent time in Virginia Beach where he came to know and love the Lord. His desire to work in ministry led him to pursue an education from Columbia International University, and he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Education in 1978. His work with Mission to the World involved studying French overseas in the Montpellier region of France, and this is where he met his wife, Johanne; they then moved to Canada to start a family and eventually relocated to South Carolina in 1988. Galen’s technical skills and keen mind brought him to a career in HVAC, and he retired as a HVAC technician from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine after 21 years of service. More recently Galen had worked as an activity school bus driver for the Lexington 1 School District. A practical man, he firmly believed in the value of serving others and lived out his faith by volunteering with different organizations and helping those in need. He also especially enjoyed spending time with the Filipino-American and French communities of Columbia. Galen was passionate about theology, history, family, lively conversations and good food and will always be remembered for his faithfulness and commitment to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Galen is survived by his wife of 36 years, Johanne Manapat of Lexington, SC; daughters Fay Boudet (Brenden) of Goose Creek, SC and Christine Manapat of Lexington, SC; two granddaughters; his sister Pamela Manapat-McCormick (Thomas) of Zephyrhills, FL; his cousins Jun Strebel (Dolly) of Chicago, IL and Becky Riley of Houston, TX; his father-in-law Richard DeGrandpre (Monique) of Montreal, Quebec; his brother-in-law Raymond DeGrandpre of Montreal, Quebec; his sisters-in-law Sylvie Lefebvre (Louis) of Gatineau, Quebec and Angele Legault of Saint-Jerome, Quebec; 6 nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Bonifacio and mother, Irma; by his two daughters, Monica and Melodie; and by his mother-in-law, Raymonde DeGrandpre.

Visitation for Galen will be held at the Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel, 503 N. Lake Dr., Lexington, SC 29072 on Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral Service honoring his life will be held the day after at the same location on Friday, October 30, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Following the service, there will be a graveside committal at 4:15 pm at the Southland Memorial Gardens at 700 W. Dunbar Rd., West Columbia, SC 29170.

In lieu of flowers, the Manapat family requests that memorial gifts be made to Columbia International University. Gifts will be used to provide a scholarship for African American students at CIU. Please make a notation on your gift, ‘Galen’s Fund’. Gifts can also be made online at https://advancement.ciu.edu/. Click ‘Give’ then select ‘Scholarships’ and type ‘Galen’s Fund’ in the lower field. Donations can also be made in Galen's name to Rwanda Ministry Partners at https://www.rwandaministrypartners.org/support-rmp.