Obituary of Manfred (Manny) E.H. Albers

On Thursday, August 24, Manfred (Manny) E.H. Albers, a much-loved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away from complications of Parkinson’s disease.  

Manny was born on October 22, 1951, to Herma and Johannes (Hans) Albers in Lakewood, Ohio. After Manny graduated from John Marshall High School in 1970, he went on to join the United States Air Force where he became a Sergeant. During his Tour of Duty, Manny was a Voice Processing Specialist and Translator stationed in West Berlin, Germany. After serving four years, he reenlisted and was selected to learn Arabic, but was honorably discharged in 1975 following the sudden death of his mother. At this time, he was able to return home to be with his dad, and sisters, Heidi and Christel.

Manny met Lauri through mutual friends on a blind date in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1977, they married in Memphis, Tennessee. Manny and Lauri resided in Cleveland, Ohio and went on to have 3 children, Linden, Bryant, and Kelsey and lived there until 1994.

When he was healthier, Manny enjoyed skiing, camping, bike riding, yard work, road trips, and traveling. He was committed to helping the children with their homework as long as it was history, math, geography, or German; and occasionally he gave free tutoring lessons in calculus. Manny had an appreciation for books. One of his favorites was about the United States Government. He kept a schoolbook from the 60’s titled “United States Government Organization”, a manual he would frequently reference. History and geography also kept his interest. In college, he was the first student in his Geography class to correctly identify all the countries in the world. While living in Cleveland, he enjoyed taking the neighborhood children on bike rides to Lake Erie or letting them paint the garage one summer. Later in his life, he revisited his woodworking carpenter skills by taking courses at the community college. 

In his early years, Manny worked for Stanadyne, later Moen Faucets, in Research and Development. There he helped design components for kitchen sink faucets. His research was key in reconfiguring the component which prevented the main faucet from dripping when the rinse hose was utilized. Eventually, Manny made the move from Research and Development into the IT world where he worked for Information Builders, Inc. In 1994, all of Manny’s family had already left the Cleveland area, and with Lauri’s family still living in the South, Manny transferred to Dallas, Texas. Later, opportunities arose and he worked for GTE/ Verizon and finished his career at Frontier as a Senior Supply Chain Systems Analyst.

Manny was preceded in death by his father, Johannes (Hans) Albers, and his mother, Herma Albers.
He is survived by his wife of almost 46 years, Lauri Albers, daughter Linden Urquieta (Paul), grandchildren Adrian and Laurel Urquieta, son Bryant Albers (Sara), and daughter Kelsey Albers, along with his sisters Heidi Franzen (Peter) and Christel Wiewel (Rainer), many nieces, and step-mother Christa Albers.

A graveside memorial service will be held in Arkansas in the fall of 2024 for friends and family. In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks that those who are able instead make a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org) or to any local animal shelter or rescue.