Mr. Eric Bruce Mance

Mr. Eric Bruce Mance (63) of Stone Mountain, GA passed away on November 12, 2016. Funeral service will be held Friday November 18, 2016 1:30 PM at Antioch Lithonia Baptist Church 2152 Rock Chapel Road Lithonia, GA 30058. Interment at Eternal Hills Cemetery 3700 Stone Mountain Hwy. Snellville, GA 30039. Visitation Thursday November 17, 2016 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home - Gwinnett Chapel 914 Scenic Hwy. Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Legendary former high school basketball Coach Eric Bruce Mance passed away on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at his home in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is survived by his wife, the former Teresa Diann Denton whom he married on August 11, 1972. Together they have three loving children: Kalonji (Danette), Omar-Seli (Rebecca) and Akilah Mance as well one grandson Zion Seli Mance. He is also survived by siblings Angela Whitlock, Sidney Mance (Marilyn) and Julie Faniel (Albert) as well as his uncles Billy Gay (Mattie) and Leon Gay (Sharon) along with many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones. He was preceded in death by his father Melvin Mance and mother Constance (Gay) Mance. Coach Mance was born in Albany, Georgia on December 24, 1952. He graduated from Albany High School in 1970 where he was a scholar-athlete in basketball at the newly integrated school. Prior to attending Albany High, he was a student at Monroe High School where he excelled in basketball and football. He then attended Valdosta State University on a full basketball scholarship where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. He also obtained a Masters of Education in Physical Education from Georgia Southwestern as well as a Masters in Special Education from Columbus College (GA). He was a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. having pledged in Spring 1975. He then established an interest group at Valdosta State in the Fall of 1976 and oversaw the first pledge class initiated on April 28, 1978. In 2003, the Albany native was inducted into the Albany Sports Hall of Fame for his remarkable career as a player and high school coach. He was proud to be part of the only father-son duo to participate as players in the Georgia North-South Basketball All-star Game (Eric 1970 and Omar-Seli 1998), which he was also selected to lead as Head Coach in 2000. He served as a Head Varsity Basketball Coach for 33 years. He was also a successful teacher in Health/Physical Education and Special Education. He worked as a high school teacher and coach at Irwin Co. (Ocilla, GA); Americus (Americus, GA); Briarcliff and Gordon (Atlanta, GA); Lithonia (Lithonia, GA), where he had the privilege of coaching both of his sons, Kalonji and Omar-Seli. Coach Mance finished his legendary coaching career at M.L. King High School in Decatur, GA. Known as the "Dean of Basketball Coaches in DeKalb County" Mance was legendary with 547 career wins and fourteen 20 win seasons. He was the first coach in Dekalb County to reach 500 wins, with 286 wins at Lithonia High and 90 wins at MLK High School. During the span of his coaching career, Mance coached the 1994 Lithonia High School team ranked No. 15 in the Nation. He had nine 20 win seasons in 15 years at Lithonia High School. He coached a Sub Region Champion team eleven times, a Region Champion team four times, State Runner-Up in 1994 and 2000. He also coached teams to the State Final Four in 1993 and 2005 and the State Quarter Finals in 1999. As a head coach, Mance had over 70 players receive basketball scholarships and over 30 players receive scholarships in other sports as well. He was a beloved and successful coach, a true father figure to countless players during the span of his career and even beyond his retirement from the game. Eric Mance will be remembered as the steady patriarch of his family, a committed basketball coach, mentor, a loving father to his three children and husband of 44 years to Diann.

Tributes

Mr. Eric Bruce Mance

December 24, 1952 - November 12, 2016