Mary Ellen Manzella
July 13, 1948-July 18, 2016
Austin, Texas

Longtime Pleasanton resident Mary Manzella passed on July 18, 2016 in Austin, TX where she and her husband John Manzella of 49 years retired in 2012.

Mary ran an in-home daycare for nearly 40 years in Pleasanton. She loved children and helped raise hundreds of kids in the community, loving them each as her own. Those who know her would tell you, "She never met a stranger, she was full of life, love and patience."

Mary and John retired to Austin in 2012 to be close to family and their three grandsons. Mary enjoyed traveling the country with her husband in their fifth wheel, attending lots of youth baseball, basketball and football games, and enjoying retirement. Mary especially loved "date night" at the movies with her husband!

Mary was born on July 13, 1948 in Oakland, CA to Claire and David Brandt. She attended Holy Names High School in Oakland and married her husband, John Manzella, a decorated Marine and Vietnam war veteran, on December 2, 1967. John and Mary moved to Pleasanton in the mid-70s and had two children, Christine and Paul.

Mary is survived by her husband John Manzella, daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Doug Sechrist of Austin, TX, her three grandchildren, Kyrnan, Oliver and Rowan; her brother Ed Brandt and his wife Lois, her niece Kathleen Craig and husband Rick Craig, and great nieces Ashley and Katrina Dent. She was preceded in death by her son, Paul David Manzella and her parents, Claire and David Brandt of Oakland, CA.