Manuel “Manny” Albert Herrera passed away peacefully on October 25, 2022, with his children by his side at his son’s home in Colorado after a brief battle with brain cancer. He was 79 years old. Manuel is survived by his children, Troy (Monica) Herrera of Brighton, Colorado and Tracey (Angel) Jimenez of Ventura, California. His brother Sal (Edna) Herrera of Utah, sister Kathleen Herrera of Texas and his twin sister Natalie (Tony) DePaco of Santa Barbara, California, grandchildren Alycia, Ana, Natalia, Michael, Angelo, Luc, Nathaniel, great-grandson Alexander, many aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Salvador Herrera and Anita “Annie” Cordero Herrera, grandmother Mary Venzor Cordero, grandfather Albert Cordero, great-grandmother Natalia Venzor Hernandez, sister Mary Herrera Redding and brother
Paul I. Herrera.
Manuel was born in Fairfield, CA on November 11, 1942, and known to most as “Manny.” He spent the majority of his young life into adulthood in Santa Barbara, CA, graduating from SBHS in 1961 and attending SBBC before joining the Army to serve our country. He spent his career as a UPS driver, primarily delivering parcels in Carpinteria. Manny retired in 1998, and after living in Utah he then settled in Thornton, Colorado for his remaining years. Growing up, he immersed himself in sports and he was very successful on the football and baseball fields. He was co-captain of the SBHS Golden Tornado football team that won a CIF Championship in 1960. Over the years Manny would assist many young athletes and encourage them to go after their dreams. He stayed active over the years, playing racquetball, weightlifting, and bicycle riding. He turned his passion for weight lifting to training athletes with kettlebells and set state records in Utah for bench press and deadlift powerlifting, which still hold as records today. Manuel’s passion for football and weightlifting carried over into the relationships he had and the lives he impacted while sharing his knowledge. Many athletes benefited from his advice and training not only on the field, but it instilled a sense of responsibility and determination in other areas of their lives. Manny had a big personality and a great smile. He loved to share stories about his family and their accomplishments. In 2005, the book, “The Kid” was published by Bill Nowlin of Rounder Records which chronicled the family roots of Manny’s 2nd cousin, Baseball Hall of Famer, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Manny was one of the family members from Ted’s maternal side that were a contributor to this book and he was very proud to be a part of the process. Manny’s family is comforted at knowing he has joined our Heavenly Father and the loved ones that have passed before him and he will be resting in paradise forever.
Graveside services will be held in his honor on Friday, December 16, 2022, at The Goleta Cemetery at 11 am. In place of flowers, the family asks for a donation in Manuel’s name to Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association.
