Fairview Township couple built nine homes during marriage

Sue Mangine stood in the woods with her husband, Ron, on a dreary day in 1988. A light rain fell, but the tree canopy was so thick the couple didn't get wet.

Ron Mangine had brought his wife to Fairview Township to show her where he wanted to build their new house, their ninth new house in 20 years of marriage.

"Ron had a vision for these things. He could picture just how the house would be situated," Sue Mangine said. "Of course, we had done this eight times before."

Sue Mangine, 77, didn't expect to live in the Fairview house for long. They had only stayed in each of the previous ones a few years before her husband was transferred out of town or found a new job.

The plan was to stay long enough for their three children — who were in seventh, ninth and 10th grades when they moved into the house — to graduate from high school.

Instead, the Mangines remained in the house for nearly 35 years. Ron Mangine's job with GE Healthcare lasted until his retirement and the couple planted roots in western Erie County.

Now the house is for sale. Ron Mangine died in 2022 after a lengthy cancer battle and his wife is moving into Saint Mary's at Asbury Ridge.

"It's just too much house for me to handle," Mangine said. "We had made plans before Ron got sick to eventually move into Saint Mary's when we were ready."

The custom-built home, finished in 1989 and located at 7217 Pine Tree Court, lists for $749,000. The nearly 4,100-square-foot, two-story residence includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and sits on a nearly three-acre lot.

Though Ron Mangine wasn't an architect or contractor, he sometimes drew the initial floor plans for the couple's houses.

"His touches are all over this house," Mangine said. "The dental crown molding and especially the shadow boxes. Ron loved shadow boxes. He wanted them in every room but I put my foot down."

The house includes a formal living room and dining room, which enabled the Mangines to entertain friends and hold holiday gatherings.

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It also features an eat-in kitchen, a four-season room that looks into the woods, and a large family room with a stonework gas fireplace.

"Ron was very involved with the mason putting in the stones for the fireplace," Mangine said. "He wanted particular stones in certain places."

Tucked into a corner of the first floor was Ron Mengine's hardwood-paneled office. It features sliding doors, another of his favorite touches.

"I would be in the family room watching football and Ron would be in his office on the computer," Mangine said. "I'd be yelling at the game and he'd ask what was going on."

The most unusual aspect of the second floor is the master bedroom's large walk-in closet. It features two distinct areas and two of its own, smaller closets.

The master bathroom includes a soaker tub and separate shower stall.

"We lived in two houses in Texas and its known for houses with big bathroom and big closets," Mangine said.

The finished basement also has a unique touch. Besides a massive recreation room, where the Mangines' three children spent time growing up, it includes a small telephone booth and a woodworking room with peg board walls.

The telephone booth was suggested by a friend and the woodworking room was where Ron Mangine spent a lot of time shortly after the house was built.

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"Ron always kept all of his tools neat and orderly," Mangine said. "He even had an exhaust fan for the sawdust."

Building nine houses over 20 years can test even the strongest marriages. The family moved more than nine times, including the rental houses they lived in while some of the new houses were built, Mangine said.

The couple also would argue about what would go into a new house, though the Mangines discovered those disagreements occurred less often over time.

"We used to argue over everything, like the types of hinges for the doors and paint colors," Mangine said. "As we went along, it just got easier and easier."

Contact David Bruce at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.