Manuel P. Henrique Jr.

Manuel P. Henrique Jr. died August 25th 2016 surrounded by his loving family. He was 89. He lived a long, full life as a devoted husband, father, grandfather , great-grandfather and friend. He was born in Provincetown, MA on September 13, 1926 and at the age of four, travelled cross-country by car with his parents and sister Edith to San Diego. His father, Manuel P. Henrique Sr. became a tuna fisherman. At the beginning of World War II the tuna boats were commandeered by the U.S. Navy to be used as supply boats, which left Manuel Sr. without a job, so he joined the Navy. When he was transferred to Mississippi Manuel moved back to Provincetown and began fishing with one of his uncles at age 16. When he was 17 he and several other local young men enlisted in the Navy. Manuel had some diving experience and so he joined the UDT team, also known as the Sea Bees, which was the precursor to the Navy Seals. Manuel was very proud of his time in the service and told many great stories about that time in his life.

Before he returned to Provincetown, Manuel told Mary Silva that he would be back to marry her and he made good on that promise November 20th, 1945 when they

were married at St. Agnes Church. Manuel and May settled in Point Loma next door to his in-laws, Arthur and Evelyn Silva. After his time in the service Manuel went back to fishing until he gave it up to be home with his family. He worked at Coca Cola where he got to use his creative problem solving skills when Coke introduced pre-mixed sodas. He managed the Harbor Island Fuel Dock for several years until he became a purchasing agent for Famous Market, which reconnected him with the San Diego tuna fleet. He retired from the market after 19 years when his wife became ill. Manuel took exceptional care of May during her long illness. After her passing he sold their Point Loma home and moved next door to his granddaughter Stacey and her daughter Vivian. This worked out well for all of them, with Stacey carting around her “Junior & Senior” as she liked to call them. He then went to work part time at his daughter Nancy’s moving and storage company where he built and repaired storage vaults. In his spare time he would make birdhouses and other small project with the scraps.

He was a member of Cabrillo Club #16 and enjoyed spending time with his old friends from Point Loma reliving many a fishing trip. More fish was caught in one short evening than was usually caught during a whole trip. He enjoyed coaching Little League and Pop Warner Football when his son Bob was young and taught his kids and grandkids how to swim in the family pool. He was a jack-of-all trades. He would drop whatever he was doing if family or friend needed help, whether it was plumbing, electrical, a dead battery or pouring enough cement to create a patio.

He was warm and friendly and enjoyed life. His smile lit up the room. He was a “baby whisperer” and could calm a fussy baby by holding and walking them while singing softly, until they were peacefully asleep. There are a lot of one-time frazzled moms that can attest to that. He always had a spare car for his kids and grandkids to use when they needed one. He was kind, caring and supportive, always there for his family and he will be missed.

Manuel was born September 13, 1926 in Provincetown to the late Manuel and Mary Emilia Henrique. He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Fritsch; Laurie and her husband Jack Silveira; son Robert Henrique; daughter-in-law Cindy Henrique; his grand-children and their spouses; Richelle and Greg Shadoan; Rick and Karen Motta; Stacey Romero; Leslie and Amar Joseph; Justin Fritsch and his wife Wendy; Danielle and Joey Neve; great-grandchildren Julian and Quinn Shadoan, Vivian Romero, Jack and Ryan Motta; Brandon and Colin Joseph; Zoe Fritsch; Avery Neve. His beloved wife of 56 years May, his grandson Brandon Silveira, son-in-law Bob Fritsch, sister Edith Codinha, brother Vincent Henrique Sr, preceded Manuel in death.