Following a long illness, James Frederic McManus, EdD, of Riverview, FL, made his way peacefully home to God on Sunday, February 7, 2021.  He was born February 10, 1945, in Charlotte, NC, and grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio.

More than anything Jim loved spending time with his family.  He is survived by his beloved wife Kathryn Elaine McManus of Riverview; daughter Kelly Lorraine Miller and son-in-law Frank Westover "Wes" Miller III of Lutz, FL; son Frederic James "Ric" McManus and daughter-in-law Elisa Hopping McManus of Chantilly, VA; his sister Phyllis McManus Koetzle, brother-in-law Robert Koetzle, and niece Kasey Wright of Sykesville, MD; and numerous cousins across the U.S.  His dear grandchildren are Ethan James McManus and Rachel Kathryn McManus of Chantilly; and Mackenzie Swan Miller, Madison Claire Miller, and Magnolia Raine Miller of Lutz.  Jim also loved sharing daily walks, sailing together, and trips to the dog beach with his four-footed family member Falkor.   Jim was the son of the late Margaret Emory McManus and Frederic James McManus of East Liverpool.

A lifelong passion of Jim's was flying.  He flew everything from ultralights to high performance single engine aircraft, seaplanes to hot air balloons. He met his wife Kathy, also a pilot, through Tampa's Gasparilla Ye Mystic AirKrewe (YMA) formation flying club. They made many trips around the southeast with YMA, flew themselves to the Bahamas for their honeymoon, and later founded 18th Century Aviation, a commercial hot air balloon ride company.  He always shared a favorite quote from Leonardo DaVinci that summed up his yearning for aviation with balloon passengers:  "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return".

Jim served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force's Civil Air Patrol, flying search and rescue and observation missions.  He held an FAA Commercial Pilot license with private pilot privileges for single engine land with high performance/complex aircraft endorsements, single engine sea, and commercial lighter-than-air.

Jim also loved boating, learning as a little boy on the Ohio River in a kayak with a sail and outriggers built by his dad. He owned several boats through the years, culminating with a 44' CSY sailboat SV Lionheart. Together he and Kathy built a successful charter business with Lionheart on Tampa Bay from 2012 to 2021. Through Olde World Sailing Line Jim shared his passion for the water and the environment with hundreds of guests from around the U.S. and the world. Jim was a US Coast Guard-licensed Master Captain for vessels up to 50 Gross Registered Tons in Near Coastal Waters.

A third love shared by Jim and Kathy was travel.  They vacationed across the U.S., Canada, Central America and Europe, and visited many sites in the U.S. as part of both of their jobs.  They flew themselves, camped, and rented RV's in Alaska.  They loved cruising, and were grateful to have taken an unforgettable trip in 2019 - a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 and two weeks in Europe.  During a prior illness Jim had promised Kathy he would recover to dance with her on the Queen Mary for their twentieth anniversary.

After graduation from East Liverpool High School, Jim attended Youngstown State University (Ohio) where he received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Education.  He later earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

In the early years Jim pursued a successful sales career with Simmons Company, where he was named national salesman of the year, and Michelin.  He served as a science teacher, dean, principal, and district administrator with Hillsborough County Schools for over 30 years. Other education-related employment included positions with Duval County Schools, Polk County Schools, Pearson Education, Nova Southeastern University and Florida School Choice.  He and Kathy also ran a unique event photography business, SocialSnap Studios, from 2014 - 2019.  Jim's dream job was his five years as Executive Director of the international Seaplane Pilots Association, based in Lakeland, Fl. He proudly worked with local, state and federal agencies to protect seaplane pilots' water access rights, edited the association's monthly magazine, represented SPA at numerous aviation events, and supported a membership of over 8,000 seaplane pilots.

Services will be held at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Rd, Riverview, FL, on Thursday, February 18 at 1 pm with entombment to follow at our Serenity Meadows Memorial Park.  The family will receive guests, socially distanced, at 12:30 pm.  In order to keep everyone safe, the family asks guests to mask, socially distance at all times, and defer much appreciated hugs to a later, safer time.  Additional sanitation measures will also be in place.  For those unable to join them or uneasy about attending in person, the service will also be available live at http://bit.ly/Jim_McManus

or www.zoom.us, Meeting ID: 814 3166 1991    Passcode: JimM

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's memory to the "Kidney Cancer Program" (must type that in) at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center ( https://engage.utsouthwestern.edu/donate-now ), or Tampa Bay Watch ( https://41207a.blackbaudhosting.com/41207a/Individual-Contributions ).