Harold Eugene Manhart, Md

Following a prolonged fight with cancer, Harold Eugene Manhart, MD passed away at his Home in Montrose, CO, December 5, 2021.  Harold was born to Lewis F Manhart and Villa Kramer, 9/17/1930 in Parma, OH.

He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Lauren Manhart and sister Margaret Denzer.  He is survived by his brother Dr Richard Manhart and sister Jeanne Lewis.  Harold married the love of his life Sharon L Ruh, in Columbus Ohio 6/26/1956.  He is survived by Sharon and his three children, Grant, Scott and Anne, grand children Katarina, Kenton, Logan, Chase, Louis, and Claire, and great grandchild Brantley.

Harold grew up in Bowling Green OH where he attended elementary through high School and attended college at Bowling Green State University.  He attended Ohio State University where he received his MD.  He returned to OSU for his specialty training in Otolaryngology following his service in the US Army.  He was assigned to the 82 & 101 Airborne in Fort Bragg, NC as a flight surgeon and was always proud of and humbled by the work he did with the WW2 & Korea Veterans.

Harold specialized in pediatric ENT practice in Madison WI from 1963-1983. His love of the west brought him to Montrose Colorado in 1983 where he established a medical practice that served all of Southwest Colorado.   Following retirement from clinical practice, Harold became Vice president of medical affairs at Wisconsin Blue Cross/Blue Shield and went on to develop and apply Information Technology systems to healthcare services in the 1990s.

Growing up in rural Ohio provided Harold a strong connection to the land.   In 1966 he purchased a dairy farm in Wisconsin with his eye on rehabilitating it to a productive conservation tree farm specializing in American Walnut.  Over the ensuing 55 years his effort has been rewarded with multiple recognition including Conservation Farm of the year on 2 occasions.  He was a member of the Wisconsin Woodland owners Association, American Walnut council and the American Chestnut foundation.

Harold was a patron of the arts as an avid lover of music and also a skilled wood worker. He learned to paint with many of his esteemed artist friends in the Mountain West in his late 80s and went on to pioneer the art form of preserved Bonsai sculpture which won awards at several art shows in the Southwest.

In Montrose Harold was active in Rotary, Medical association, Archeology society, and the Ute Indian Museum.  He was instrumental in modernizing the museum and funds for its renovation.  Memorial services will be held later in the upcoming year and any donations can be made in his name to the Ute Indian Museum or plant a tree in his honor. Crippin Funeral Home is assisting Mr. Manhart’s Family.