Thomas Darold Manier, Sr. 94, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2019 in Atascadero. Tom was born in January 1925in Big Beaver, Michigan, the younger of two children of F. Irene and Darold Manier. The family moved to northern Michigan, where Tom attended school in Frederic. He graduated high school in 1943, which is also where he met Phyllis Jean Lozon, his future wife. He was inducted into the Navy in August of 1943 was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for boot camp, and then to San Diego, CA for Sound School, to learn how to detect submarines in the Pacific Ocean. He was assigned to a new D.E. 302, the U.S.S. Lyman and left for Hawaii for further training. Tom spent the rest of WW-II as a Sonar man on board the Lyman escorting the 6thFleet, and was credited with the sinking of a mini sub. Tom graduated to Sound man 2ndClass and during the course of his service, traveled to many of the South Pacific islands, weathering a massive typhoon in which the Navy lost several ships including the U.S.S. Pittsburg cruises which broke in half. After the war, he was discharged from the Navy and returned to marry his childhood sweetheart, Phyllis Lozon, in March 1946. They moved to Grayling, MI, and where he worked at a sign shop, where he learned how to build and repair signs. He eventually opened his own sign business but was persuaded to move to Petoskey, MI and be apprenticed to a neon glassblower sign maker,which remained his profession for the rest of his life. Tom and Phyllis were married for 70 years and have three children, all of Atascadero: Diana Larsen, Thomas (Rhonda) Manier, Jr., and Steven (Annette) Manier. He is also survived by six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Phyllis predeceased Tom in 2016.He was also predeceased by his older sister, Gloria (Manier) Measell. Tom’s skill as a neon glass blower was a rare enough skill, opportunities were everywhere there were neon signs, and neon was very much in vogue. The family left Michigan in 1956, traveling to Oklahoma City and Mobile, Alabama each for about a year before landing in San Luis Obispo County in 1958, where they have remained. He worked for City Neon (now CN Graphics) for 25 years and for Santa Maria Neon for 5 years before retiring. Many of the neon signs he designed and built are still visible in SLO and the County. He also ran his own business,Pop’s Lettering, where he paintednames and logos on many of the local trucks, vans, and boats around the county.Healso enjoyed playing his electric piano, guitar, and boating with his family at Nacimiento Lake for many years. Tom spent his last years at Danish Care Center and the family wishes to thank all the staff there for their patience and special care. Cremation has already taken place at Chapel of the Roses and there will be a private interment at Atascadero Cemetery.