Manuel D. Laranjo was born in Ribeira Funda, Faial, Açores on September 16, 1935 to Manuel and Thelma Laranjo. He was the second of three children.  



Manuel died at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara, CA on April 21, 2005 from complications stemming from his long battle with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife Maria Lurdes, daughter Linda of Santa Clara, CA, son and daughter-in-law and granddaughters, Eddie, Zita, Vanessa and Brianna of Santa Clara, CA, son and daughter- in-law Manuel Jr. and Debbie of Hanford, CA, his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Deolinda of San Jose, CA and his sister and brother-in-law Mary and Glenn Rose of Berkeley, as well as many nieces and nephews.



Manuel grew up on the island of Faial, Açores and learned at an early age about hard work, helping his family on their land during most of his childhood.  Manuel’s parents divorced during his teens, with his mother taking his sister to America and his father taking the two boys to Portugal.



In his early twenties, Manuel came to America and enlisted in the United States Army.  After serving our country, Manuel received a job in Gas Construction with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in 1962.  He became a Gas Construction Foreman and soon after was certified as an Arc Welder.  He was very dedicated to his job and partaked in various emergencies, including the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, where he clocked in 36 hours continuously to help with the damages to PG&E’s facilities.



In 1964, Manuel married his wife of over 40 years—Maria Lurdes Silva.  Together, they’ve raised two sons and one daughter in their home of over 38 years in Santa Clara, California.