Earl E. Manzer Jr.; Certified Public Accountant

Earl E. Manzer Jr. died at his home in Oxnard on Wednesday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 78.

Manzer was born Nov. 17, 1920, in Norfolk, Neb. Most of his family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, moved to Ventura in the early 1930s.

Manzer attended schools in Ventura but graduated from Venice High School in 1939. In 1944, he enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the USS Saratoga during World War II.

After the service, he graduated magna cum laude from Woodbury College in Los Angeles. In 1949, he married Rosemary Hough, and six years later they moved to Oxnard. She died in a car accident in 1983.

Manzer was a certified public accountant for 45 years, working mostly in private practice. As he neared retirement, he joined the Oxnard firm of Soares, Sandall, Bernacchi & Petrovich.

In 1995, Manzer married a longtime family friend, Ruth Wolff, and together they traveled and shared many happy times, his family said.

Manzer, known by his family as “Grandpa Dude,” often spoke of how proud he was of his grandchildren and their academic and athletic accomplishments.

Manzer enjoyed singing in barbershop quartets. He sang with several groups in the early 1950s, and in the past 10 years, he was a member of the Masters of Harmony, a three-time international champion chorus group based in Santa Fe Springs.

In addition to his wife, Manzer is survived by two sons, Norman Manzer of St. Helena and Rick Manzer of Ventura; a daughter, Roseanne Stevens of Camarillo; two stepdaughters, Cheryl Souza and Pam Kaaihue, both of Hawaii; three brothers, Ralph Manzer of Fallbrook, Richard Manzer of Westlake Village and Gene Manzer of Prescott, Ariz.; a sister, Jeri Susens of Knoxville, Tenn., and 11 grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura. A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Oxnard. Burial is private.

The family suggests that donations be made in Manzer’s name to the donor’s favorite charity.