Jul 29, 2009

LSSU athletics loses a family member

Lake Superior State athletics lost a member of its extended family when Shirley (Patton) Mancuso died July 23 of cancer.

Mancuso began working at LSSU as the Department of Athletics secretary when the Norris Center opened in 1976. She worked for athletic director Bud Cooper until he retired during the 1985-86 school year and served under Jim Fallis through 1988-89. She also worked in the ticket office until retiring in 1990.

Mancuso played a support role within the department during the growth of Laker women's athletics and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's adolesence. She she was a member of the staff when the Lakers won the 1988 NCAA hockey championship.

"With any secretarial position you have to be interested in what the field is, and she was interested," Cooper said. "She was very good with people, a sports fan and interested in what was going on. She was there when we were really developing. We were expanding into the GLIAC and the hockey league and so-on. She had to handle a lot of things."

"She was a wonderful human and a key figure in all the success of Laker athletics throughout her career," added Fallis, who is currently the director of athletics at Northern Arizona University. "It is never easy working for new bosses, but Shirley was just wonderful and a real professional in how she dealt with the transition from Legend, Bud Cooper, to rookie, Jim Fallis. I will always be grateful for her kindness and ability to anticipate the next crisis that was coming through the door. She could always put things in perspective, and that is what made coming to work at Norris fun every day.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Laker family as we say goodbye to one of the 'GOOD GALS!'"

LSSU assistant professor and hall of famer Deb McPherson coached Laker softball and volleyball from 1976-92. It was a different era during those early years, and Cooper and Mancuso created a family atmosphere.

"Shirley was such a kind, warm, sincere person," McPherson said. "When you think of all the ‘personalities' she worked with over the years in Laker Athletics and how she managed her office, she really had the right temperament for the position. She could laugh at situations and move on. Shirley was very social, and she and Joe (Patton) hosted many department events at their home. Shirley enjoyed and recognized the importance of balancing work with some play. She also balanced work with family, and took many young coaches under her wing. After retirement she continued to volunteer and stay involved with the Laker Athletics family through the BlueLiners and assisting with golf tournaments to support the programs. We all loved her, and when we think of Shirley, especially those that knew her best, we will all have a smile and a chuckle as we retell stories from the past. She made her mark (a positive one) on Laker Athletics and the people she embraced."

Former Laker hockey player Doug Kacharvich ('71) was a first-year assistant coach at LSSU in 1975-76 and worked with the program through the 1978-79 season.

"I was very sorry to hear about Shirley," Kacharvich said via email from overseas. "She was a very kind, generousand gracious individual. Shirley had a great sense of humor and was always available to listen to what was on your mind, whether it was personal or professional. Because of her empathy and ability of being a great communicator, Shirley and I formed a very good relationship. As a young asisstant hockey coach, Shirley demonstrated a lot of patience and understanding when I would be a day late in handing in my travelling report after returning from a recruiting trip. And if Bud would get upset, she had a great calming effect on him.

"Besides being a great person, she was also a super team player in the athletic department through her support of the various athletic activities. I remember with fondness when the staff would get together for Happy Hour, sharing her great sense of humor in telling of jokes and just kibitzing in general. Iam sure that Bud also has fond memories of those times. Shirley was an avid hockey fan and a loyal Laker BlueLine member. I know that one of her greatest passions was attending the hockey games, both home and away. One of the qualities I remember most about Shirley was her zest for life as well as her wonderful smile. When I left Lake State to take the head coaching job at Plattsburg State, Shirley was responsible for organizing a going-away party at her house. It was a wonderful party and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. That was the kind of person Shirley was, warm, kind, thoughtful and always thinking of others. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have such a wonderful person as a friend."

Mancuso's first husband, Joe, died in 1984, and she married Gary Mancuso in 1997. During her "single" years, she ran with Ruth Norvell and Marge Somes, and the threesome blazed many trails to Detroit's Joe Louis Arena as LSSU dominated the college hockey scene from 1988 through 1996.

"She did like to party," Somes said. "She liked Seven & Seven's. And she was a hummer. It didn't matter if we were driving to a tournament downstate or if we were in my golf cart, she would hum."

"We did quite a bit more socializing back then than they have in recent years," Cooper recalled. "Mert (Cooper) was great at hosting staff parties. We communicated that way quite a bit. Everybody treated her well and they had respect for her. She treated (former LSSU women's basketball coach) Bob Taylor like a son, and Doug Kacharvich. That's the kind of relationships she had with people."

"She liked to have the players over for dinner," added Somes, whose husband, Gil, was the Lakers' full-time equipment manager until 1994. "I was always ‘Gil's wife,' and Joe was ‘Shirley's husband.' After awhile we signed for our season tickets that way. We didn't have names."

Mancuso was active in the Soo BlueLiners Club and helped organize the BlueLiners and Bud Cooper golf outings. She enjoyed playing golf and cards, and was still meeting her card-playing group up until a week before her death.

"She was driving again, and I didn't think she would make it back from Florida," Somes said. "She was in the hospital for a month down there. She was a fighter. She was very sick, but very determined."

Surviving Shirley are Gary Mancuso, her husband of 12 years, her children Robert (Michelle) Patton of Gladwin, Daniel Patton of Dayton, Ohio, Stephen Patton of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Mari (Randy) Patton-Chamberlain of Traverse City, Thomas (Violet) Patton of Brimley, and Angela (Hung) Patton Nguyen of Pensacola, Fla., her sister Patricia Milligan and brother Richard (Sheila) Mattson of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Also surviving are David (Betty Lou) Mancuso of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Steven (Lynn) Mancuso of Jordan, Dan (Jan) Mancuso of Ottawa, Ont., and Garilyn (Steven) Duenk of Red Lake, Ont. Shirley had 25 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was also pre-deceased by her parents, Ed and Margie.

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She she was a member of the staff when the Lakers won the 1988 NCAA hockey championship. "With any secretarial position you have to be interested in what the field is, and she was interested," Cooper said. "She was very good with people, a sports fan and interested in what was going on. She was there when we were really developing. We were expanding into the GLIAC and the hockey league and so-on. She had to handle a lot of things." "She was a wonderful human and a key figure in all the success of Laker athletics throughout her career," added Fallis, who is currently the director of athletics at Northern Arizona University. "It is never easy working for new bosses, but Shirley was just wonderful and a real professional in how she dealt with the transition from Legend, Bud Cooper, to rookie, Jim Fallis. I will always be grateful for her kindness and ability to anticipate the next crisis that was coming through the door. She could always put things in perspective, and that is what made coming to work at Norris fun every day. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Laker family as we say goodbye to one of the 'GOOD GALS!'" LSSU assistant professor and hall of famer Deb McPherson coached Laker softball and volleyball from 1976-92. It was a different era during those early years, and Cooper and Mancuso created a family atmosphere. "Shirley was such a kind, warm, sincere person," McPherson said. "When you think of all the ‘personalities' she worked with over the years in Laker Athletics and how she managed her office, she really had the right temperament for the position. She could laugh at situations and move on. Shirley was very social, and she and Joe (Patton) hosted many department events at their home. Shirley enjoyed and recognized the importance of balancing work with some play. She also balanced work with family, and took many young coaches under her wing. After retirement she continued to volunteer and stay involved with the Laker Athletics family through the BlueLiners and assisting with golf tournaments to support the programs. We all loved her, and when we think of Shirley, especially those that knew her best, we will all have a smile and a chuckle as we retell stories from the past. She made her mark (a positive one) on Laker Athletics and the people she embraced." Former Laker hockey player Doug Kacharvich ('71) was a first-year assistant coach at LSSU in 1975-76 and worked with the program through the 1978-79 season. "I was very sorry to hear about Shirley," Kacharvich said via email from overseas. "She was a very kind, generousand gracious individual. Shirley had a great sense of humor and was always available to listen to what was on your mind, whether it was personal or professional. Because of her empathy and ability of being a great communicator, Shirley and I formed a very good relationship. As a young asisstant hockey coach, Shirley demonstrated a lot of patience and understanding when I would be a day late in handing in my travelling report after returning from a recruiting trip. And if Bud would get upset, she had a great calming effect on him. "Besides being a great person, she was also a super team player in the athletic department through her support of the various athletic activities. I remember with fondness when the staff would get together for Happy Hour, sharing her great sense of humor in telling of jokes and just kibitzing in general. Iam sure that Bud also has fond memories of those times. Shirley was an avid hockey fan and a loyal Laker BlueLine member. I know that one of her greatest passions was attending the hockey games, both home and away. One of the qualities I remember most about Shirley was her zest for life as well as her wonderful smile. When I left Lake State to take the head coaching job at Plattsburg State, Shirley was responsible for organizing a going-away party at her house. It was a wonderful party and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. That was the kind of person Shirley was, warm, kind, thoughtful and always thinking of others. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have such a wonderful person as a friend." Mancuso's first husband, Joe, died in 1984, and she married Gary Mancuso in 1997. During her "single" years, she ran with Ruth Norvell and Marge Somes, and the threesome blazed many trails to Detroit's Joe Louis Arena as LSSU dominated the college hockey scene from 1988 through 1996. "She did like to party," Somes said. "She liked Seven & Seven's. And she was a hummer. It didn't matter if we were driving to a tournament downstate or if we were in my golf cart, she would hum." "We did quite a bit more socializing back then than they have in recent years," Cooper recalled. "Mert (Cooper) was great at hosting staff parties. We communicated that way quite a bit. Everybody treated her well and they had respect for her. She treated (former LSSU women's basketball coach) Bob Taylor like a son, and Doug Kacharvich. That's the kind of relationships she had with people." "She liked to have the players over for dinner," added Somes, whose husband, Gil, was the Lakers' full-time equipment manager until 1994. "I was always ‘Gil's wife,' and Joe was ‘Shirley's husband.' After awhile we signed for our season tickets that way. We didn't have names." Mancuso was active in the Soo BlueLiners Club and helped organize the BlueLiners and Bud Cooper golf outings. She enjoyed playing golf and cards, and was still meeting her card-playing group up until a week before her death. "She was driving again, and I didn't think she would make it back from Florida," Somes said. "She was in the hospital for a month down there. She was a fighter. She was very sick, but very determined." Surviving Shirley are Gary Mancuso, her husband of 12 years, her children Robert (Michelle) Patton of Gladwin, Daniel Patton of Dayton, Ohio, Stephen Patton of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Mari (Randy) Patton-Chamberlain of Traverse City, Thomas (Violet) Patton of Brimley, and Angela (Hung) Patton Nguyen of Pensacola, Fla., her sister Patricia Milligan and brother Richard (Sheila) Mattson of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Also surviving are David (Betty Lou) Mancuso of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Steven (Lynn) Mancuso of Jordan, Dan (Jan) Mancuso of Ottawa, Ont., and Garilyn (Steven) Duenk of Red Lake, Ont. Shirley had 25 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was also pre-deceased by her parents, Ed and Margie.