Johnny Ray "John" Mannino

He was born in Port Arthur, TX, on April 28, 1958 to Charles John Mannino and Edelinda Gertrude Schmeling Mannino, who doted on their eldest son throughout his childhood. As an Army BRAT, John’s youth was full of moves, new friends, and interesting places, including a few years in Germany and Taiwan as a teenager. His sister, Linda Ann, was 7 years his junior and always looked up to him as her cool older brother. The Mannino family settled in San Antonio, TX, where John would live the remainder of his life.

John met the love of his life, Dora Maritza Fernandez, in 1990 while working together at HEB. She fondly remembers his tall, lanky frame clad in high-water pants, high-top sneakers, and an undersized shirt with his glorious chest hair peaking out. Dora was charmed by John’s bright blue eyes, big smile, and silly nature. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married in 1991, following closely by the birth of their daughter, Lena Ann Mannino, in August 1991, and their beloved son, John Charles Mannino, in 1993. His children meant the world to John and he frequently expressed his love and pride in them. He affectionately referred to his wife as “Pancha”, his daughter as “Miss Lena”, and his son as “Big John”.

John was a lifelong dog-lover and had a special fondness for Dachshunds. When John met Dora, he had a furry companion, Bonnie, who was very protective of her human. During their first-time meeting, Dora recalls being bitten by the little dog. Dora worked hard to earn Bonnie’s trust and together, she and John ensured Bonnie lived a full, happy life. John and Dora always enjoyed having a dog in the house and shared their home over the years with many furry friends. The day after John’s passing, Schatzie gave birth to six beautiful puppies which brought a much-needed light into the family’s time of mourning.

John was a proud Roadrunner, having graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1998 with a Bachelors in Geography. He roared with laughter hearing UTSA’s “Fear the Beak” slogan for the first time. John worked diligently to complete his MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2005, an accomplishment he was especially proud of. John was incredibly proud to have seen his wife and children follow in his footsteps and graduate from university as well. He always told them that a degree is something no one can ever take from you.

John did everything he could to ensure a stable, loving home for his family. He served the community while working at HEB for 20 years, where he learned how to become an understanding, hard-working manager. John proudly served USAA for 20 years before his retirement in 2019.

In his younger years, John enjoyed watching baseball with his friends, Joel and Craig, and his favorite teams were the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. During his lifetime, John was able to share with his family the experience of watching his Cubs play at Wrigley Field and the Astros play the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

John’s inner kid was let loose with frequent trips to Malibu Grand Prix where his need for speed was proven on the go-karts, one of his children smiling ear-to-ear in the passenger seat and his hat backwards. He would run around the arcade playing games, his favorite being House of the Dead which involved John and his kids shooting zombies for hours.

John was an avid traveler and instilled a love of exploring new destinations with his family. The Manninos enjoyed ski trips to Ruidoso (where John’s need for speed was not as cute when driving up the mountain and terrifying his family), Red River, and his favorite, Lake Tahoe. In September 2023, John and Dora checked off a lifelong dream by visiting Niagara Falls.

John was known to love sitting in the garage with his beer and smokes. He would blast Youtube videos ranging from cute animals to current events. He was always learning about the way the world works and had a deep appreciation for history. His love of Coors beer was known by everyone, even the hospital staff in the ICU whom he tried to bribe for beer. They enjoyed joking with him about sneaking in a Coors, though he knew it wouldn’t happen. John loved to ask servers in a restaurant for an ice-cold beer, so cold that it would burn his throat.

Although he wasn’t an adventurous foodie, he loved sweets and was known to have a stash of Ferrero Rochers in the house. John loved ice cream, pie, and eclairs.

Pancha, Big John, and Miss Lena will miss their grumpy old man and will always work to make him proud. Please enjoy a cold beer for John and in lieu of flowers, we would appreciate a donation being made to the American Lung Association in John’s name. He always said his biggest regret was picking up smoking.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Edelinda Mannino, his grandparents John and Lena Mannino, and Bruno and Gertrude Schmeling. He is survived by his loving wife, Dora, his son and daughter-in-law, John Charles and Alycia, his daughter and her partner, Lena and August, his father and wife, Charles John and Charlotte of Corrigan, his sister and brother-in-law, Linda Ann and Ricky Fuqua of Willis, his in-laws Mario and Margot Fernandez of New Braunfels, his brother-in-law, Mario Ben, Lydia, Vera, and Judah Fernandez of New Braunfels, his favorite niece Madisson and Avelardo Cazares of Seguin, surrogate sisters and families, Paula, Brian, Garrett, and Avery Thomson of Macon, GA, and Jenna Hancock, Joshua, Clay and Steven of Dallas.

A viewing will be held for John at 6pm on Thursday, December 28th at Porter Loring North, followed by a rosary prayer. Mass will be held at 10am on Friday, December 29th, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. A procession will begin at 9:30am that day from Porter Loring North for those who would like to join. Following mass, a reception will be held. To view Johnny's service please click here.