Manuel Lakes

You can ask anyone in Berea about the “Lakes” and almost all will reply, “Oh, you mean Manuel’s family?” Manuel moved to Berea in 1976 and has made a lasting impression on numerous families, businesses, churches and organizations.

Manuel is a local Kentucky boy who grew up in a large family. When he took a job as teenager and was unaware that the position would shape the rest of his life and become a family affair. Manuel worked as a bookkeeper for a funeral home in McKee, until the owner put the business up for sale. The owner influenced Manuel’s father into purchasing the business. This decision determined that Manuel grew up around the business and knew its inner workings. In 1963 Manuel graduated from a Mortuary college in Louisville and later bought the business from his father, today the business in McKee is still in his family and owned by his youngest brother.

In 1979 he bought his first business in Berea. It was a furniture store, called “Lakes Enterprise,” and was located at 125 North Broadway. Manuel owned the store four years before selling it. While he owned the store, he was also working at the Wray funeral home in town. He remembers that the building next to the furniture store was empty and he used it for furniture storage. Soon, he realized there was a need for personal storage for individuals who were moving and didn’t have enough room for all of their belongings. He got the idea to rent the space in the building to these individuals in need. This was almost unheard of at the time. There weren’t storage buildings or garages on every corner like there are now. So, he would charge a monthly rent of $10 - $15 dollars and let the individuals leave their belongings in a pile. They would then masking tape around the area they rented and place plastic over it. This service was obviously not a ‘get rich quick scheme,’ but instead a labor of love and sharing to help fellow individuals who needed something that he had an abundance of.

In July of 1988, he opened Lakes Funeral Home in Berea. He has successfully ran Lakes ever since. On April 1, 2002 Manuel retired from work; but, he still goes into the office at least once a week to check up on the business. His family runs the business today. He has three children and one stepson. His son and daughter are licensed morticians and now run the Berea Lakes Funeral Home. His oldest daughter works as a medical secretary and his stepson is a carpenter. The new porch that is being added to Lakes is the handy work of his stepson. Manuel knew when he entered the business that he wanted to be sure that he never turned a family away. He believes everyone deserves a proper burial and lack of money should not prevent that. Manuel has made sure that Lakes has done their best to provide for local families in their time of need, and taken special care to be sure that families who loose a child are cared for properly.

Through his many years living in Berea he has also been a member of, and recognized by, many organizations. Last year he was voted Man of the Year by the Lion’s club. He has been very active in the Rotary club and was president for two years. He is also a proud member of his church family at Bethel Baptist for the last twenty years. There he serves as treasure, as he has for the last four years at the Tate’s Creek Baptist Association. His most enjoyable work has been with the Gideon’s. They have worked to raise money and spread the Christian Bible to countries where they have never heard of God before. They also volunteer to pass out Bibles at local schools and colleges.

Overall he stresses the pleasure that living in Berea has brought to him and his family. His children all live in the local area, as do his seven grandchildren. Manuel has lived in towns as big as Lexington and Louisville and as small as McKee, but he feels that Berea has always proved to be the perfect size town. He enjoys knowing that everything you need can be purchased within an hour of Berea, if not from a local Berean. He likes the college town feel that Berea has, and believes that it is set apart from any other college town because it doesn’t have a “party life” atmosphere like most other college towns.

Growth through out the town was the largest change Manuel has seen in Berea. He is amazed at all of the outlying growth that has taken place around Berea. He remembers, “Berea was a town of 6,500 when I first moved here.” He shared, “If I had only seen Berea, and not stayed here or even visited for the last twenty-five years, the I came back today, I would think I was in the wrong place!” And, if your looking for someone who can tell you about the old Fruit Jar high school, what Berea College’s campus use to look like before all of the construction, or even the old Hospital, ask Manuel.

When he’s not busy checking up on the business or volunteering, Manuel likes to fish, and he does so every year with his brother in Florida. He also sees each of his grandchildren weekly and spends a lot of time with his family. Its amazing to see a man who has spent so much time giving to his community and working numerous jobs, yet still able to keep a focus on what is important in his life. He is a wealth of information and laughs. If ever given the chance, be sure to visit with Manuel, it’s a pleasure.

written by Hannah Billings