VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hampton Roads is bidding farewell to a military legend, as another member of the Greatest Generation fades away.
World War II veteran Bob Manges passed away in his sleep on February 5, weeks short of his 101st birthday.
13News Now was present last year, as some Virginia Beach friends and neighbors staged a small, drive-by parade in front of his house to celebrate his 100th birthday.
Manges joined the Coast Guard at 17 and rose to the rank of chief commissary steward. While aboard USS Wakefield, he made 17 round-trip transits across the Atlantic, including one time when he dropped off troops at Omaha Beach, France prior to the June 6, 1944 "D-Day" invasion.
Manges said on his 100th birthday that he was a lucky man.
"Believe it or not, I thank the good Lord I'm here and in as good of shape as I am," he said.
After his military service, Manges went on to serve as the Electrical Inspections Supervisor for the City of Virginia Beach. He was predeceased by his wife, Juanita, who died in 2017.
According to his obituary, Manges requested that there be no funeral or service.
His remains will be interred later this spring at Rosewood Memorial Park.