Louis Manne: His Story

Louis Manne was born in Brooklyn, NY. On February 28, 1919 and lived to the fine old age of 100. He  enjoyed a long and healthy life. He took his role of provider and protector of his beloved wife Pearl and his  three children, Beverly, Zoe (nee Cheryl) and Jason very seriously.  

Lou, whom his childhood friends called “Butch”, started working at a young age. He was the eldest of four  bothers growing up in the Bronx with his parents Lena and Abraham Manne. He graduated from James Monroe High School in 1937. During WWII he served in the US Army from 1942 to 1946, both in Louisiana and in  Alaska along the Alcan Highway. He married his wife Pearl on June 14, 1942.  

After the war he returned home. His first business experience was working in the Manne family poultry stores selling Kosher chickens. Then around 1946 he and his brother Rubin opened a store they rented from his aunt  who owned a building on Boston Road in the Bronx. They called it a ‘chop chop store.” Instead of selling  whole chickens, they were selling chickens cut up in parts. It was a new concept. It was called “ Happy Valley  Farms – Poultry in Parts.” All four brothers worked there – Stanley, the youngest only part time while he went  to school.  

Not too long after that, Louis opened a butcher shop on Jerome Avenue and Fordham Road in partnership with  Rubin. He left the poultry store and his two brothers, Rubin and Lester, became partners there. He didn’t know  how to be a butcher, so he hired two experienced butchers and they taught him the trade. He bought a station  wagon so he could buy meat and deliver it directly to the store himself.  

This new venture enabled him to move his family to a new 3-bedroom home in the suburb of Queens in 1950.  More children followed and by 1954 he was the father of 3. Two girls and a boy.  

In 1962 Louis sold his butcher store and opened a Pioneer supermarket on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, NY. 

Still later, when he was in his 50’s, he sold the supermarket and tried his hand at commercial real estate for a  short time. Then he went to work for Gallo Wines as a salesman. It was the job he enjoyed the most of all and  he was very good at it. He worked for Gallo for many years until his retirement.  

Lou and Pearl began to travel. Their first trip was a month-long journey to Israel and Europe, but many other  travel adventures followed over the years. Eventually, in his ‘60’s Louis finally retired. He and Pearl moved to  a retirement community in New Jersey along with many of their childhood friends. They had an active social  life and went often to the theater and to the opera.  

In retirement Louis was very active and found new hobbies and ways to volunteer. He took up billiards and golf  and joined the computer club. He learned to film videos for the private TV station in the community where he  lived. He would travel around the New Jersey area filming various events of interest and interviews with people  from many walks of life - and these were aired on the Concordia TV station. In later years he did the weekly  programing for the TV station. In addition, he did volunteer work well into his ‘90’s , delivering Meals-on Wheels to shut-ins and people in need, and driving people to their doctors appointments and elsewhere through  Jewish Family Services.  

Louis Manne enjoyed the American Dream at a time when it was still alive and well. Working hard for many  years, he put his three children through college, and made weddings for them, after which he was happily  retired for almost 40 years. He became a grandfather and a great grandfather. He and Pearl celebrated 73 years  of marriage before ill health took his beloved Pearl away in 2015. He lived on another five years and died  November 17, 2019 – just a few months short of his 101st birthday. A life well-lived. 

LOUIS MANNE 

RESUME / LIFE TIMELINE 

Born:  

February 28, 1919, Brooklyn, New York 

Parents: Lena and Abraham Manne  

Education: 

High School: James Monroe, Bronx, NY - Graduated January 1937 

Military Service:  

U.S.Army February 2, 1942 - discharge Jan 15, 1946  

Fort Polk, Louisiana 

Alaska – Along the Al-Can Highway 

Fort Dix, New Jersey. 

Marriage:  

June 14, 1942 DeRidder Louisiana  

Pearl Teicher to Louis Manne  

Children 

Beverly Frona Manne Rivkind (born March 3, 1947) 

Cheryl Zoe Manne Hansen (born May 19, 1950 ) 

Jason William Manne (born August 3, 1954 )  

Business/ Career  

1946 Happy Valley Farms Poultry in Parts Store , Bronx, NY – with brother Rubin Manne.  1948? Butcher Shop , Bronx, NY.  

1962 Pioneer Supermarket in Rego Park 

1970’s Wine Salesman , E. & J. Gallo Winery 

1980’s Retirement 

 Move to Concordia, Monroe Township NJ. 

Volunteer work 

2015 – Pearl passed on July 27, 2015 

2019 – Louis passed on November 17, 2019