Henry Mann

Henry M. Mann died on January 1, 2010, a few weeks after his wonderful 95th birthday celebration surrounded by his large family. He and his surviving wife, Faye Mann, were just five months from their 75th wedding anniversary.

In addition to Faye, Henry is survived by his son, David S. (Elizabeth “Betsy”) Mann, former Mayor of Cincinnati and Member of the 103rd Congress; his daughter, Patricia Mann (Walter) Smitson, managing partner of the Cincinnati office of the law firm of Thompson Hine; five grandchildren, Michael (April) Mann, David Hinsch, Deborah (Chris) Porter, Jonathan (Camilla) Hinsch, and Marshall Mann; and six great grandchildren, Kiersten Pfeiffer, Lyla Mann, Jaron Porter, Mia Mann, David Porter, and Ella Hinsch.

Henry had a magnificent and diverse life as family patriarch, school teacher, World War II Navy officer, business executive, mayor, community leader, and committed church member. His dry wit and unmatched memory were priceless to his family.

A native of Edmonton, Kentucky, Henry was a graduate of Western Kentucky University. He also had a Master of Arts in Education.

Henry and Faye came to Northern Kentucky when Henry accepted a teaching position in the Covington schools. His children have spent their adult lives meeting former students of Henry who spoke with great affection of him as their teacher.

Soon after Pearl Harbor, Henry volunteered to join the Navy and was commissioned as an Ensign in the spring of 1942. He saw action in the North African and Italian Theaters. He was in the first wave of the landing of the invasion of Sicily as a beach landing officer. He only recently revealed that, twice during the war, the man next to him was killed. Henry remained in the Navy Reserves and served as Commanding Officer of the Navy Reserve Center in Covington.

Faye and Henry returned to Northern Kentucky after the war. Henry accepted a position in personnel with the Gibson Art Company while working in the evenings as an instructor and Dean of Students for the Salmon P. Chase Commerce College. He then joined Nutone Incorporated, ultimately serving as Executive Vice President. After work with Nutone, Henry spent 20 years constructing fine homes in Ohio and Kentucky as president and owner of Henry Mann Construction Company. He was Chairman of the Board of The Central Trust Company of Kenton County, formerly Citizens National Bank. He continued to serve on two bank boards until his death.

Henry gave his talent and leadership to many community activities. He was mayor of Lakeside Park for nearly 10 years. He enjoyed greatly the newspaper headline announcing that “Henry’s son” had become mayor of Cincinnati.

Henry was a trustee of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments for over 20 years; most of those years, he was a member of the OKI Executive Committee. He also served as President of OKI in 1986. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Kentucky Bicentennial Commission. He served on the Boards of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest of Cincinnati, and the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. He was Chair of the Kenton County Democratic Party Executive Committee for four years and served as Kenton County Chair for the 1982 gubernatorial campaign of Martha Layne Collins.

A special priority for Henry was health matters. He served as Chairman of the Boards of St. Elizabeth Medical Center, the Hospital Council of Greater Cincinnati, and CORVA (Health Planning Association of the Central Ohio River Valley). He was on the Boards of St. Elizabeth Medical Center Foundation; St. Francis, St. Mary’s, and Providence Hospitals; Children’s Psychiatric Hospital of Northern Kentucky; Kentucky Hospital Association Council of Trustees; Northern Kentucky District Board of Health; Wood-Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory; and Northern Kentucky Health and Social Planning Council.

Higher education also attracted Henry’s energies. He served as a Regent of Northern Kentucky University and as a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and the Kentucky Council for Higher Education. He was also a member of the University of Kentucky Development Council for 15 years.

Henry’s family misses him deeply but will always be inspired by his faith. He was a member of the Madison Avenue Christian Church for over 60 years. He held virtually every lay position in the Church at one time or the other.

Private interment will be at the convenience of the family. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 9 at 11:00 a.m. at Madison Avenue Christian Church, 1530 Madison Avenue, Covington, Kentucky 41011.

Memorials may be directed to Madision Avenue Christian Church, 1530 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY 41011; Central Clinic, 311 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45229; The Hearing Speech and Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati, 2825 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219; or the St. Elizabeth Medical Center Foundation, 401 E. 20th Street, Covington, KY 41014.