Over the course of his 73 years Gerald had many nicknames. You could tell how long someone had known him by what they called him. If they knew him in his youth, when his hair was fiery red, they might call him Red or possibly Jerry. In his middle age, many called him Captain Hook or simply Hook. In his latter years he allowed his hair to grow rather long, resulting in an appearance somewhere between Grizzly Adams and Willie Nelson. It was no wonder that he became known as "Griz".
Gerald was avid in whatever he chose to do. He had many wonderful attributes, but one of his most prominent qualities was simple perseverance. It was a blow when he lost his primary hand and part of his forearm in the early 1950s, but it didn't seem to slow him down much at all. He taught himself new ways to do things and never considered himself ‘handicapped'. From stringing hooks on his fishing lines to building furniture, he never permitted the loss of his hand to prevent him from doing what he wanted. He learned from his father how to 'plug away' (his words) and accomplish the tasks he had to do. Like most of the Mansell family he would expect all who worked with him to keep up with him from his youngest child who, at the age of four, would start nails for him to drive in the construction of a new addition on the home, to the older girls unloading, stacking and loading firewood he had for sale.
Gerald loved to fish and when his children were young; he hunted and trapped game for food, as well as for pelts to sell for the extra money for his family. He enjoyed gardening and managed to develop one of the very first strains of thornless blackberries that would grow in the Midwest. He was a professor for several years through the UMKC Communiversity program, where he taught wilderness survival.
After the loss of his hand, Gerald switched from a "flat top" guitar to a dobro style guitar, which he played very proficiently. He even played lead melodies on his old National Duolian and would perform at various places around Kansas City. He did his best to teach his daughters the music he learned as a youngster from his mother and enjoyed fostering their musical talent; helping two of them to learn instruments and coaching them in vocal harmonies. He especially enjoyed playing bluegrass, railroad songs and Irish music and performed as a minstrel at the Rennaisance Fair in Kansas City, Ks.
He was a wonderful blend of his mama's adages and his papa's wisdom about Nature, all combined within his own colorful personality. He touched and enriched many lives. He's sorely missed.
~~OBITUARY~~
Gerald L. "Griz" Mansell, 73, Kansas City, Kan., died April 9, 1994, at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Maple Hill Chapel; cremation. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the chapel. Mr. Mansell was born in Anderson, Mo., and lived in this area most of his life. He was a switchtender for the Union Pacific Railroad for 24 years, retiring in 1975. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of the Serenity chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Colony Baptist Church in Edwards, Mo. Survivors include his wife, Billie A. Mansell of the home; four daughters, Penny L. Berry, Kearney, Karen L. McGarvey, Brick, N.J., Donna L. Edler and Cathy L. Kerns of Kansas City, Kan.; three brothers, Don B. Spurlock, Galena, Kan., Truman Mansell, Kansas City, and F. Norman Mansell, Raytown; a sister, Jeanne M. Humpf, Columbia; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Gerald was avid in whatever he chose to do. He had many wonderful attributes, but one of his most prominent qualities was simple perseverance. It was a blow when he lost his primary hand and part of his forearm in the early 1950s, but it didn't seem to slow him down much at all. He taught himself new ways to do things and never considered himself ‘handicapped'. From stringing hooks on his fishing lines to building furniture, he never permitted the loss of his hand to prevent him from doing what he wanted. He learned from his father how to 'plug away' (his words) and accomplish the tasks he had to do. Like most of the Mansell family he would expect all who worked with him to keep up with him from his youngest child who, at the age of four, would start nails for him to drive in the construction of a new addition on the home, to the older girls unloading, stacking and loading firewood he had for sale.
Gerald loved to fish and when his children were young; he hunted and trapped game for food, as well as for pelts to sell for the extra money for his family. He enjoyed gardening and managed to develop one of the very first strains of thornless blackberries that would grow in the Midwest. He was a professor for several years through the UMKC Communiversity program, where he taught wilderness survival.
After the loss of his hand, Gerald switched from a "flat top" guitar to a dobro style guitar, which he played very proficiently. He even played lead melodies on his old National Duolian and would perform at various places around Kansas City. He did his best to teach his daughters the music he learned as a youngster from his mother and enjoyed fostering their musical talent; helping two of them to learn instruments and coaching them in vocal harmonies. He especially enjoyed playing bluegrass, railroad songs and Irish music and performed as a minstrel at the Rennaisance Fair in Kansas City, Ks.
He was a wonderful blend of his mama's adages and his papa's wisdom about Nature, all combined within his own colorful personality. He touched and enriched many lives. He's sorely missed.
~~OBITUARY~~
Gerald L. "Griz" Mansell, 73, Kansas City, Kan., died April 9, 1994, at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Maple Hill Chapel; cremation. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the chapel. Mr. Mansell was born in Anderson, Mo., and lived in this area most of his life. He was a switchtender for the Union Pacific Railroad for 24 years, retiring in 1975. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of the Serenity chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Colony Baptist Church in Edwards, Mo. Survivors include his wife, Billie A. Mansell of the home; four daughters, Penny L. Berry, Kearney, Karen L. McGarvey, Brick, N.J., Donna L. Edler and Cathy L. Kerns of Kansas City, Kan.; three brothers, Don B. Spurlock, Galena, Kan., Truman Mansell, Kansas City, and F. Norman Mansell, Raytown; a sister, Jeanne M. Humpf, Columbia; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Over the course of his 73 years Gerald had many nicknames. You could tell how long someone had known him by what they called him. If they knew him in his youth, when his hair was fiery red, they might call him Red or possibly Jerry. In his middle age, many called him Captain Hook or simply Hook. In his latter years he allowed his hair to grow rather long, resulting in an appearance somewhere between Grizzly Adams and Willie Nelson. It was no wonder that he became known as "Griz".
Gerald was avid in whatever he chose to do. He had many wonderful attributes, but one of his most prominent qualities was simple perseverance. It was a blow when he lost his primary hand and part of his forearm in the early 1950s, but it didn't seem to slow him down much at all. He taught himself new ways to do things and never considered himself ‘handicapped'. From stringing hooks on his fishing lines to building furniture, he never permitted the loss of his hand to prevent him from doing what he wanted. He learned from his father how to 'plug away' (his words) and accomplish the tasks he had to do. Like most of the Mansell family he would expect all who worked with him to keep up with him from his youngest child who, at the age of four, would start nails for him to drive in the construction of a new addition on the home, to the older girls unloading, stacking and loading firewood he had for sale.
Gerald loved to fish and when his children were young; he hunted and trapped game for food, as well as for pelts to sell for the extra money for his family. He enjoyed gardening and managed to develop one of the very first strains of thornless blackberries that would grow in the Midwest. He was a professor for several years through the UMKC Communiversity program, where he taught wilderness survival.
After the loss of his hand, Gerald switched from a "flat top" guitar to a dobro style guitar, which he played very proficiently. He even played lead melodies on his old National Duolian and would perform at various places around Kansas City. He did his best to teach his daughters the music he learned as a youngster from his mother and enjoyed fostering their musical talent; helping two of them to learn instruments and coaching them in vocal harmonies. He especially enjoyed playing bluegrass, railroad songs and Irish music and performed as a minstrel at the Rennaisance Fair in Kansas City, Ks.
He was a wonderful blend of his mama's adages and his papa's wisdom about Nature, all combined within his own colorful personality. He touched and enriched many lives. He's sorely missed.
~~OBITUARY~~
Gerald L. "Griz" Mansell, 73, Kansas City, Kan., died April 9, 1994, at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Maple Hill Chapel; cremation. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the chapel. Mr. Mansell was born in Anderson, Mo., and lived in this area most of his life. He was a switchtender for the Union Pacific Railroad for 24 years, retiring in 1975. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of the Serenity chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Colony Baptist Church in Edwards, Mo. Survivors include his wife, Billie A. Mansell of the home; four daughters, Penny L. Berry, Kearney, Karen L. McGarvey, Brick, N.J., Donna L. Edler and Cathy L. Kerns of Kansas City, Kan.; three brothers, Don B. Spurlock, Galena, Kan., Truman Mansell, Kansas City, and F. Norman Mansell, Raytown; a sister, Jeanne M. Humpf, Columbia; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Gerald was avid in whatever he chose to do. He had many wonderful attributes, but one of his most prominent qualities was simple perseverance. It was a blow when he lost his primary hand and part of his forearm in the early 1950s, but it didn't seem to slow him down much at all. He taught himself new ways to do things and never considered himself ‘handicapped'. From stringing hooks on his fishing lines to building furniture, he never permitted the loss of his hand to prevent him from doing what he wanted. He learned from his father how to 'plug away' (his words) and accomplish the tasks he had to do. Like most of the Mansell family he would expect all who worked with him to keep up with him from his youngest child who, at the age of four, would start nails for him to drive in the construction of a new addition on the home, to the older girls unloading, stacking and loading firewood he had for sale.
Gerald loved to fish and when his children were young; he hunted and trapped game for food, as well as for pelts to sell for the extra money for his family. He enjoyed gardening and managed to develop one of the very first strains of thornless blackberries that would grow in the Midwest. He was a professor for several years through the UMKC Communiversity program, where he taught wilderness survival.
After the loss of his hand, Gerald switched from a "flat top" guitar to a dobro style guitar, which he played very proficiently. He even played lead melodies on his old National Duolian and would perform at various places around Kansas City. He did his best to teach his daughters the music he learned as a youngster from his mother and enjoyed fostering their musical talent; helping two of them to learn instruments and coaching them in vocal harmonies. He especially enjoyed playing bluegrass, railroad songs and Irish music and performed as a minstrel at the Rennaisance Fair in Kansas City, Ks.
He was a wonderful blend of his mama's adages and his papa's wisdom about Nature, all combined within his own colorful personality. He touched and enriched many lives. He's sorely missed.
~~OBITUARY~~
Gerald L. "Griz" Mansell, 73, Kansas City, Kan., died April 9, 1994, at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Maple Hill Chapel; cremation. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the chapel. Mr. Mansell was born in Anderson, Mo., and lived in this area most of his life. He was a switchtender for the Union Pacific Railroad for 24 years, retiring in 1975. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of the Serenity chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Colony Baptist Church in Edwards, Mo. Survivors include his wife, Billie A. Mansell of the home; four daughters, Penny L. Berry, Kearney, Karen L. McGarvey, Brick, N.J., Donna L. Edler and Cathy L. Kerns of Kansas City, Kan.; three brothers, Don B. Spurlock, Galena, Kan., Truman Mansell, Kansas City, and F. Norman Mansell, Raytown; a sister, Jeanne M. Humpf, Columbia; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Inscription
PFC US Army WWII
