04/17/2026
To our Gulfview Family. In the 45 years of our existence as a church, we have had the honor and privilege of walking with some pretty amazing people who have faithfully served the Lord with their lives and have faithfully attended our church. One such amazing couple was Ron & Phylis Manus. Phylis passed away in 2016 and Ron too has now officially entered the presence of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, just a few days ago on March 27th. Ron and Phylis served the Lord faithfully as missionaries to northern Peru. They ministered to an unreached people group called the Urarina Tribe, located in the Amazon Rainforest. In 1959, Ron and Phylis would begin their adventure in Peru. They would spend much of their missionary life creating relationships and sharing the hope of Jesus with an unreached tribe who had never before heard His name. They first of all had to learn the language of the Urarina people and then create a written version of that language for the first time. It is a language unrelated to any other language on earth. Then began the dream of translating the Bible into the language of the Urarina people. In 2007, after many years of hard work and dedication, they finished the entire New Testament. Interestingly enough, or should I say in divine circumstances, the week prior to Ron's passing, the much awaited third printing of the Urarina Bible had finally arrived in Peru. The church had completely run out of Bibles and were anxious to receive a new batch. Ron had moved to Michigan many years ago to be with his family who loved and cared for his so well. Although we miss Ron in our presence today, we have hope because we know He is in the Lord's presence today. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 tells us that as followers of Jesus, we do not grieve like the rest of the world grieves who has no hope, because we have hope. Hope in the risen Jesus who has defeated death once and for all which gives us the promise of eternal life. And so in these moments, we lean on the truths of God's Word. The written Word of God that Ron and Phylis spent most of their life studying and translating into an unknown language. I am reminded of Psalm 119. A passage of Scripture devoted to reflecting on the powerful truth and importance of God's Word in the lives of His people. One key verse is, verse 105. "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Another verse that helps us understand the message of Psalm 119 is verse 72. "The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Ron and Phylis, followed so closely to Jesus, sacrificed much of their life to sharing His gospel, and believed that His Word was more precious than silver and gold. We will miss them both. Please continue to pray for the family as they each go through this difficult time. For a complete obituary of Ron's life, you may follow the link below.
View Ronald Porter Manus's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.
