Manuel Henrique Peres was born October 7, 1962 on the beautiful island of Faial, Açores, Portugal to Jorgina and Manuel Peres. In 1970, he and his five surviving siblings (Manuel, Maria Lourdes, Joe, Olivia and Maria Fatima) immigrated to California, settling in the Hilmar and Turlock area. After Turlock High School, he successfully pursued his dream of being a cosmetologist, first at JC Penny Salons and then at Shear Excellence in Modesto.
Manuel met his husband, Nicholas von Teck, USN (Ret.) in October, 1995. In 2005, they moved to Rockford, Illinois to be near Nicholas' Family and career with UPS, Manny returned to JC Penny Salons. In 2014, the decision was made for both to return to the Hilmar area after Nicholas' Family died out. They had a Civil Union in Illinois in 2011 and a marriage in 2013 in California.
After retiring in 2015, Manny devoted his life to caring for Nicholas' multiple myeloma and was declared by Nicholas to be the World's Best Care-Giver. Unfortunately, on April 8, 2024, Manny tripped in his beautiful garden and sustained a head-injury which quickly worsened. He was declared brain-dead on Saturday, April 13, 2024 and the sad decision was made to let him peacefully go, leaving an unfillable void among his family and friends.
Manuel was preceded in death by two older, minor siblings in the Azores, his older brother Manuel in 2002 and his parents, Manuel in 1991 and his mother Jorgina in 2002. He loved his homes in California, Illinois and Wisconsin, his pets, cooking and his garden. Most of all he loved spending time with his beloved surviving siblings, his wonderful brother Joe R. Peres and his sisters Maria Lourdes (Mary wife of Luis Machado), Olivia, Maria Fatima (wife of Ricardo Pimentel) and several wonderful nieces and nephews, and his husband, Nicholas.
During his life, he has been a member of Portuguese-America Associations (I.D.E.S. and C.P.I.D.E.S.) and volunteered when he was at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto to help veterans and their families find their way around the facility. Manny enjoyed his Citizenship in America and especially partaking in heroic American holidays: the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Veterans Day, being proud of his husband's Service and finding ways to serve himself as a Veterans' Spouse. He never lost his love if his native Azores and traveled there when he could. He loved his native language Portuguese as well as his adopted English. Manny was a simple man who loved his profession, his life and his family, with a foot in both cultures and he loved them equally.
A Visitation for Manuel will be held Tuesday, April 23, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Whitehurst-Norton-Dias Funeral Service (FD504), 286 W Main St, Turlock, California 95380.
Recitation of the Rosary Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Whitehurst-Norton-Dias Funeral Chapel, 286 West Main, Turlock, CA 953804814.
Manuel will be laid to rest at Turlock Memorial Park, 575 N Soderquist Rd, Turlock, CA 95380.
Serving as pallbearers are Danny Pimentel, Ermelindo Costa, Kevin Pimentel, Roger Machado, Derek Pimentel and Jacob Pimentel.
