A Tribute to Dan Manthei

I first met Dan in the ’80s when I came to the USA for speaking tours. Dan was one of the founding members of Master Books when it was formed in California back in the ’70s, and he was also a member of the board of directors for the Institute for Creation Research when Dr. Henry Morris was the president.

It was also Dan who introduced me to Brad Benbow, chairman of Joseph David Advertising (JDA). Brad and his team at JDA would later help craft the world-class marketing strategy for AiG, the Creation Museum, and Ark Encounter to reach and impact people around the world.

Dan called me regularly to check on how things were going and would always express his excitement at seeing how the Lord was using the Answers in Genesis ministry. He called me two weeks ago (right before he was taken to the hospital), and although fairly weak, he wanted to tell me how much the ministry meant to him and how thrilled he was at how the Lord was blessing and using AiG.

The five founding board members, who established AiG 29 years ago (l–r): Mike Zovath, Mark Looy, Ken Ham, Dan Manthei, and Don Landis.

AiG cofounder and CCO Mark Looy said,

It was Dan Manthei as a board member of ICR who convinced ICR to hire me in 1987 to help Ken run the first Back to Genesis conferences. I’m grateful for his friendship and counsel over 36 years, including as he helped launch AiG in late 1993.

Our third cofounder and Chief Action Officer, Mike Zovath, shared this:

I remember Dan as the first supporter of our ministry in its embryonic stage even before we had a name! He and his family jump-started us from California to Kentucky with a significant donation. He’s been a part of every significant board meeting and decision for the last 30 years. He always asked the hard questions when we discussed construction projects. God had him in the right place for the right time!

Our president, Joe Boone, said this of Dan:

When I joined the ministry in 2006, a year before the Creation Museum opened, Dan was a board member who helped mentor and offer guidance to me from the very beginning. He and his wife, Kathy, were faithful supporters of AiG, and Dan always asked how he could help me in the fundraising efforts for the ministry. In fact, it was Dan who offered to provide the first matching-gift challenge for the Creation Museum a couple months before it opened. I’ll greatly miss my conversations with Dan.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kathy, and the family as they deal with the loss of one of their loved ones. Yet we do not mourn as those without hope—we take comfort that Dan is now with Christ.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

In Christ,

Ken