Life Story for
Carl M. Manus
Carl Manus, 84, of Ketchum, Idaho, passed away Sept. 13, 2014. As one of the early pioneers of snowboarding in Sun Valley, his enthusiasm and style on the mountain will be missed by many.
Carl was born Sept. 11, 1930, in Walnut Ridge, Ark. He served in the Navy from 1948 to 1952. He enrolled in the Naval Electronics School in Memphis, Tenn. His tour of duty included San Diego, Alameda, Calif., and Iwakuni, Japan. He settled in Southern California and worked as an R&D specialist designing and building product prototypes for several electronic companies.
In 1958, he married Kathleen (Bunny) Dietrich and lived in the San Gabriel Valley and Laguna Beach, Calif., before moving to Ketchum with his family in 1974. He worked as a design engineer for Scott USA for 20 years, and contracted with Smith Optics as a goggle designer.
Carl was a diehard bump skier, but at age 58 he took up snowboarding and never looked back. He fondly became known as “Grandpa Shred” or “Gray on a Tray.” He taught snowboarding on Dollar Mountain from 2005 to 2011, and was awarded “Best in the Valley” snowboard instructor in 2007. He’s one of the few that can say he was still boarding at 80 years old.
He loved music, and played guitar and sang in the church choir for over 25 years. He enjoyed many sports: surfing, off-road motorcycling, fly fishing, water skiing and, of course, skiing and snowboarding. Most of all he loved living in this valley so much that he never wanted to leave. This was his paradise.
Carl will be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, friend, teacher, spiritual leader and all-around great guy. He will forever be missed by his surviving family: wife, Bunny; daughters, Karla Manus Kuepker (Adrian) and Kerri Manus; and granddaughters, Avery Grace Kuepker and Hayden Lenore Kuepker.
Services are planned for Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood at 2 p.m. Funeral services are under the care of Wood River Chapel. Donations in Carl’s name can be made to Northrise University, Ndola, Zambia or Higher Ground in Ketchum. Donations can be sent care of Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood, Box 660, Ketchum, ID 83340.