Funeral services set for ‘loving soul’ gunned down in St. Clair County
Darryl T. Mantz’s family is mourning the loss of a man who was known for his kindness and “loving soul.”
Mantz, 46, was gunned down Sunday, Feb. 26 by a man who he had worked with on home renovations, police said.
“Darryl was a very loving soul,” said his mother, Lora Mantz of Dupo. “If he thought you were his friend, he’d give you the shirt off his back.
“Unfortunately he believed people were his friends that weren’t,” she said.
The man who shot Mantz, Reginald O. Allen, died of a self-inflicted gunshot after he shot Mantz and Dupo police officer Patrick Carrier, who remains hospitalized. The shootings occurred on McBride Avenue near Dupo, police said.
Lora Mantz said the family doesn’t yet know why Allen shot her son. Investigators said Allen had a lengthy criminal history.
“I’m not sure what happened,” Lora Mantz said in an interview Friday. “We’ve heard a million stories.”
Master Sgt. Brad Clossen, chief of investigations for the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, said Friday he did not have new information to release about the motive for the homicide but he noted deputies were still checking tips.
Lora Mantz said her son had a knack for taking care of others and believes he didn’t want to tell her about his health problems because he didn’t want her to be upset about it.
“He loved kids,” she said. “He could not see a child hurting ... well he didn’t like to see anybody hurting, but especially a child.”
She said he enjoyed watching the St. Louis Cardinals as well as playing and coaching baseball, including coaching his son, Darryl Mantz Jr.
“I loved to watch him play ball,” Lora Mantz said of her son, who played first base and in the outfield. “He went all the way up through (American) Legion ball.”
She said Darryl was 10 years older than his brother Kyle but he still took time to look out for his younger brother when he was growing up in Dupo.
“He would get down in the dirt and play with him in the dirt,” she said. “He’d do things with him that a lot of kids with that age difference wouldn’t have thought of.
“He loved to work his hands. He could figure out how to fix just about anything.”
When he was a senior at Dupo High School, Darryl was adept at math and participated in a calculus class that started with 10 students. She said Darryl was one of only two students who successfully completed the class.
The visitation for Darryl Mantz is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Leesman Funeral Home at 326 S. Main St. in Dupo with service to be held at the conclusion of the visitation.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to collect money for the funeral expenses and any money leftover would be used to support Mantz’s son.
This story was originally published March 5, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
