Obituary of Samuel Manipella

Manipella - Samuel P.,Long time Tulsa attorney died Sunday, May 21, 2006. Sam was born June 7, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Frank and Mary Manipella but lived the majority of his adult life in Tulsa. Upon graduation from Brooklyn Boys High School he held several jobs back east, but after Pearl Harbor, Sam followed his heart and joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. While serving in Europe during WWII he was shot down over Germany and held as a P.O.W. for the remainder of the war. After WWII he married Doris, his loving wife of 50 years, and settled in Tulsa. Raising a young family and working as an upholsterer (a trade passed down from his father), Sam worked his way through undergraduate and law school at the University of Tulsa. He served as President of the Student Bar Association and graduated top of his class. Sam was a member of the Tulsa County Bar Association and the Cosmopolitan Civic Club. Certainly Sam was an exemplary attorney but mostly he will be remembered as a loving husband, a great Dad, wonderful Grandpa and the best friend you could ever hope for. He was preceded in death by his wife Doris, is survived by his children Linda Allen, Sam Manipella Jr. and his wife Beth Anne of Tulsa and Teresa Smith and her husband Allen of Oklahoma City; grandchildren Grant, Jack and Drew Allen, Peter, Julia and Anthony Manipella, and Claire and Clark Smith; siblings, Anne Gerone and Frank of NY and Robert of CA. Anyone fortunate enough to have been around Sam knows what a truly special person he was. A selfless man who did so much good for so many people. He was loved and will be greatly missed. A Rosary will be held at Ninde, Garden Chapel, 3841 S. Peoria, at 7 pm, Wednesday, May 24, 2006. The Mass is scheduled for Thursday, May 25, 2006 at 10 am, at The Church of the Madalene (22nd and South Harvard). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to The University of Tulsa-College of Law; 3120 East 4th Place, Tulsa, OK 74104 (Phone 631-2655). Ninde Garden Chapel 918-742-5556