Manuel Eusebio Rodriguez's Obituary
It’s impossible to condense Manuel Eusebio Rodriguez’s 46 years on this earth into a few sentences. While his time with us was all too brief, he packed a lot of living into his years. He was born on March 20, 1969, in Rome, Italy, moving with his family around the world, but coming home to California, the place that held his heart. He studied at Phillips Exeter, graduated from Chapel Escola Maria Imaculada in Sao Paulo, Brazil, got his AB from Brown University and an MBA from UCDavis. He loved rooting for the San Francisco Giants, the 49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
Manny was a loving, and much loved, son, brother, uncle and friend, a passionate and gifted philosopher, musician, artist and athlete. While he struggled with his demons, he fought for the light. He had a gentleness of spirit, a loving heart and a deep desire to connect with those around him. Manny understood both the joy and pain of living and wanted to understand people’s stories. Whether you were his co-worker or the homeless man on the street, Manny genuinely wanted to know you. Many of us were lucky to hear Manny retell some of these stories with love, kindness and lots of humor, he really was a funny guy.
Manny had a life force and a true curiosity and childlike wonder about the world and life, it was one of the qualities that made people fall instantly in love with him.
Manuel, we will so miss your laugh, your quirky sense of humor, your observations on common, everyday occurrences and the twinkle in your eye. We cannot fully wrap our head around the fact that we won’t get another call from you, always starting with” Hey, it’s your brother”. Thank you for gracing us with your boundless energy, wonderful sense of humor, and above all else, your love.
Manny is survived by his mother Dolores Rodriguez, his sisters, Carmen Ericson, Maria Teresa Rodriguez and Lola
Vautrin, brothers in law, Bill Ericson and David Vautrin and his adoring nieces and nephews, Katherine, Anna Lise, Nicholas, Carter, Chloe and Campbell, all of whom will miss him terribly.
Donations in Manny’s honor can be made to Cityteam Oakland, www.cityteam.org.
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