Photography and Lithuanian culture were Edward J. Mankus’ great passions in life, so it is no surprise that the audio-visual room at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago is named after him. “When he did a series of pictures, his pictures were excellent and they always told a story,” said Stanley Balzekas, a longtime friend. Mr. Mankus, 87, died of cardiac arrest Sunday, Feb. 6, at Concord Extended Care in Oak Lawn. Born in Pilsen, Mr. Mankus grew up in Chicago. His interest in photography began at a young age. In 1933, he snapped pictures of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Chicago, said Irene Norbut, his cousin. “He was an American-Lithuanian patriot,” she said. He studied photography at the Ray Vogue School, where he met his wife, “Margi” Margaret Wielgot, who was a design student. The couple would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary Saturday. In addition to his work with the Lithuanian museum and local public relations work, Mr. Mankus worked as a lab technician in the photography department at the Chicago Tribune in the 1970s, where he specialized in color film processing. He spent his lifetime documenting Lithuanian culture, said his cousin. “Thousands of people come through the museum and he wanted a film to be there for them to see Lithuania,” Norbut said of a film her cousin created. “That’s the first stop when people come to tour the museum.” Besides his wife and cousin, survivors include a daughter, Judith; a son, Gary; and a granddaughter, Paloma. Services have been held.
