On the morning of July 25, Richard Mannillo passed away after a 12-year battle with scleroderma.

At the time of his passing, he was comforted by family members at his bedside in the Boston Medical Center in Boston, MA. Richard was 68 years old.

He was born August 24, 1944, in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Elmer and Grace Kortman. His father Elmer died in a plane crash when he was a young boy. Grace married Frederick Mannillo in 1947.

Richard had two brothers, John and Freddy. Richard grew up in Glen Cove, New York. While he was a young man, he enjoyed everything about living next to the ocean. He fished, clammed, and swam, and spent his time discovering new adventures in the estuaries surrounding his community. He had a deep love of the sea.

In high school, he excelled at playing hockey and decided to pursue the sport in college. He contemplated where the best place would be to better his game. His final conclusion was "the colder the better," and decided to attend Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While attending Macalester, he met the love of his life, Paula McKibbin. They were married in 1966 and raised three children: Lynn, Rya and Rich.

They spent the next 20 years in the Twin Cities before deciding to relocate and move closer to the waters of his youth. In 1990, they moved the family to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

He will always be remembered for his creative imagination and eternal optimism. He was the consummate "entrepreneur," diving head first into a variety of small businesses throughout his career. He will be remembered as a man who always had a new idea and gave it his all to make it succeed.

Richard is survived by his wife Paula, his daughters Lynn Anderson (Chris), Rya Putney (Tim), and his son, Rich Mannillo (Lee) and his brother, John Mannillo (Lee). He also enjoyed his three grandchildren: Colvin, Nova, and Violet Anderson, who live in Green Bay, WI.

The family is planning a private service at a later date. If interested in sending a memorial contribution, a website has been set up to accept donations: http://fundly.com/in-memory-of-richard-william-mannillo.