Br. William Mann, OFM, 90, who served in various ministries for 67 years as a friar, passed away on April 21, 2025, at St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Florida. He used his business acumen to support ministries in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.   

A Buffalo, New York, native, Br. Bill was born Sept. 12, 1934, to Raymond Mann and Kathryn A. (née Wierling) Mann. He attended Holy Spirit Grammar School in Buffalo and high school at St. Vincent and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, both in Buffalo, before attending the University of Buffalo from 1953 to 1954.  

Br. Bill was received into the Order of Friars Minor on April 13, 1957, professed simple vows on April 20, 1958, and made final vows on April 20, 1961.  

He began his friar journey as a cook while a novice at St. Francis College in Rye Beach, New Hampshire, where he served from 1958 to 1963. Br. Bill served as cook and procurator (managing business affairs) at St. Joseph Seraphic Seminary in Callicoon, New York, from 1963 to 1972. He then worked for a year with Franciscan Pilgrimages in New York City before moving to Siena College in Loudonville, New York, where he served in the Office of Business Affairs (1974 to 1982), as director of financial aid (1978 to 1981) and assistant vice president for administration (1981 to 1986).   

After a brief sabbatical, he served as parish administrator of St. Catherine of Bologna Parish in Ringwood, New Jersey, from 1987 to 1990. He returned to New York City in 1990, working in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi’s development office and managing the bookstore for 13 years. After a short stint as business manager and administrator at St. Anthony Residence in Boston, he moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2006 to assist the treasurer of the Washington (D.C.) Theological Union. He retired in 2008, living at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey, before moving to St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Florida.  

Br. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Fr. Raymond Mann, OFM, who was also a Franciscan friar. He is survived by family, friends and friars from the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.