MYRA HUYCK MANFRINA, Historian and Genealogist

As per her request,  no services will be held for Myra Huyck Manfrina, who died August 1, 2021, at 100 years old, from Covid complications. A private inurnment will be held at a later date at Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery.

As you read this, remember, our mom was a writer and historian, and other than some minor changes to this obituary we had to make to update it, she wrote this for herself, quite a few years ago, thinking she would be passing anytime. So this is a historical writing, and we are honoring her passing, with her own written obituary. You will possibly learn some Lompoc history here.

A Lompoc native, she was born May 27, 1921,  to Lloyd and Marie Pierce Huyck, and stems from founding families of 1874 Lompoc colony days.

Her Huyck ancestors, originally from the Netherlands in the 1600s, came to California from Albany Co., NY in the 1850s, settling in San Jose and in 1874 came to Lompoc to settle the new Temperance Colony, and bought 3000 acres on the coast at Surf, naming their settlement Huyckville.  Her father was born there and farmed the Surf hills for many years.  That property was sold in the 1920s and the coastal part of it has missile silos and railroad tracks on it.

Her father's mother's family was Fabing -- they were from France to New York then to Santa Clara, CA, and to Lompoc in 1874 where they built their home in 1875 at L and Walnut - and that place is now the Fabing-McKay-Spanne Home of the Lompoc Valley Historical Society.

Her mother's father, Alfred Pierce, was from the Pierce/Muzzall/Hayward family who sailed from England to America before the Revolutionary War.  Indiana was his home until coming to Santa Barbara in the 1880s where he worked at many vocations until a position with Col. W. W. Hollister brought him to Lompoc to the Hollister Salsipuedes Estate on Santa Rosa Road.   While in Santa Barbara Alfred Pierce had a saloon/pool hall that showed one of the first motion pictures in Santa Barbara every Saturday night.

In Santa Barbara Alfred Pierce met and married Rosa Kerr, whose Williams and Stubblefield family came from Alabama and Tennessee and from Ohio and Santa Rosa area in California down to Orcutt area where she grew up.  She was working in a Santa Barbara tea room where she met Alfred.  Marie Pierce was born in Santa Barbara and graduated from Lompoc High School with the Class of 1915.   When she died she was the oldest high school graduate living in Lompoc -- at age 97 in 1994.

Growing up in Lompoc in the peaceful, lovely little community of two to three thousand people was one of Myra Manfrina's fondest memories -- grammar school and high school days were halcyon and her graduating class of 1939 was almost at the end of those peaceful days -- Camp Cooke and WWII came soon after and changed the whole Lompoc scene forever.

Myra attended Sawyer School of Business in Los Angeles, then worked for a Los Angeles insurance brokerage, and then a law firm in a high rise on 6th Street just across from Pershing Square.

Walt Manfrina, a hometown boy, was living and working in San Pedro then, weld-ing on the first Victory Ships.  Having dated much in Lompoc,  they began to date in the Southland and married March 29, 1942, just after WWII began, setting up housekeeping in Long Beach.  When "Uncle Sam" beckoned to Walt, he went into the 1st Infantry Division from Feb. 1944 to April 1946, in Europe.  Myra and the couple's 7-month-old son Barry, went back to Lompoc to live with her parents and she became a writer for the Santa Barbara News Press and later a feature writer of historical articles, which led to her interest in the area's history.   She continued to write for both the Santa Barbara News Press and Lompoc Record for many years, then genealogy became her chief interest.   Almost all history or genealogical queries that come to the City, County, Chamber of Commerce, Library, Cemetery or Museum or Historical Society have found their way to her desk for answers.   From her research, she wrote and published four genealogical books on her own families and had three more that she wrote.

When her husband returned from the service in 1946, they remained in Lompoc where he returned to a former position at W. Atlee Burpee Company and they, in 1953, went to the Floradale Farms ranch to live when he became the plant manager.

Another son was born to them in 1947 - Robert.  The boys grew up on the country seed farm and each went into the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam era, serving on a destroyer and an aircraft carrier respectively.  It was another interesting phase of Myra's life, talking to the boys on a tape recorder and receiving tapes back of their adventures.

Upon retirement from the seed company in 1979, the couple, who had entertained people from all over the world who visited the Floradale Farms as guests of the owner, David Burpee, moved into Lompoc to the home they had built back in 1947, five years before they moved to the country.

She was 1996 Woman of the Year, chosen by the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce, and her portrait is on the Ethnic Mural on the Municipal Court building. She was a 50-year member of Miguelito Chapter, Order of Eastern Star, a charter member of the Lompoc Valley Historical Society, and a board member of that society since it began in 1968; a Lompoc Pioneer Society member for which she wrote many history articles.  She was a member of the Lompoc High School Alumni Association, and is in their Hall of Fame, and has an Award of Merit from the California State Genealogical Alliance. At one time she was on the board of directors of the Lompoc Rainbow for Girls. She also received from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Historic Preservation Award and Medal.  From the Rancho Purisima Chapter NSDAR she received the Spirit of America Award.  On the day of her 100th birthday, the Lompoc Historical Society presented the following Proclamations to her: City of Lompoc, County of Santa Barbara, California Legislative Assembly, and Congressional Recognition from Congress.

Her hobbies were collecting antiques, conducting estate sales,  scrap and picture bookmaking, and working at the Historical Society reference room, which now bears her name.

Preceding her in death were her husband Walt Manfrina, and her grandson Bryan Manfrina.

Survivors are her two sons, Barry and Bob; her two daughters in Law, Debbie and Jan, all of Lompoc; her grandchildren, Deena (Eddy) Manfrina, of San Diego; Donica (Larry) Moir of Greeley, Colorado and Jodi (George) Torres, of Lompoc; four great granddaughters are Loran and Riley Moir of Greeley, Colorado, Reece Torres of Lompoc, and Madison Michaelly of San Diego. Two great grandsons, Jaden Torres, of Lompoc, and Lucas Moir of Greeley Colorado. Also surviving are her close cousin Carolyn Concellos and countless nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to Dr. Rollin Bailey and his staff, and her 3 caregivers over the past years: Violet Tyler, Cathy Mozuela Cochrane, and Carol Armero.

Donations may be made to the Lompoc Valley Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 88, Lompoc CA, 93438, or to a favorite charity.