Funeral Details

Ronald Thomas Manaster

SERVICE INFORMATION

Date and Time

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Service

Chicago Jewish Funerals
Skokie Chapel
8851 Skokie Boulevard
Skokie, Illinois 60077
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Clergy

Rabbi David Minkus
Congregation Rodfei Zedek

Interment

Westlawn Cemetery
7801 West Montrose Avenue
Norridge, Illinois 60706
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Shiva

The Manaster Residence
105 West Delaware Place Unit D
Chicago, Illinois 60610
312.209.3329
Get Directions
Wednesday immediately following the interment
Thursday from 1:30PM-7PM

Memorial Contributions

Coe College
1220 First Avenue Northeast
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
www.coe.edu
or
The Jewish United Fund
Ben Gurion Way
30 South Wells Street
Chicago, Illinois 60606
www.juf.org




OBITUARY

Ronald Thomas Manaster March 1, 1943-August 16, 2026

Ronald T. Manaster, 83, died on Sunday August 16, 2026, with his two daughters beside him. A lifelong Chicagoan, he was born on the South Side, the youngest of Sylvia (nee’ Goldstein) and Irving Manaster’s three children. An exceptional athlete at Harvard School for Boys High School, he went on to earn his college degree at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ron was a devoted alum of Coe, supporting the institution through his philanthropy and by hiring dozens of its graduates and helping them establish their careers in the Chicago futures markets. Ron held memberships at the Chicago Board of Trade and later the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for more than 50 years, creating multiple trading and clearing companies that thrive to this day. Early on at the Board of Trade, he was among the pioneers of financial futures, participating in the committees that created the first contracts based upon financial instruments. He was a passionate lover of basketball, and staunch supporter of the Chicago White Sox. Survivors include his two daughters, Sylvie and Ilana (Gregory Edwards) and two grandchildren, Sebastian and Kika. He is predeceased by his parents and Phyllis Warsaw, his sister and best friend. He will also be fondly remembered by his former wife, Debra Vignocchi, as well as by legions of personal and business friends whom he often referred to as Curly—because though loyalty was chief among his many gifts, remembering names was not.

Service Wednesday 10AM at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Interment Westlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Coe College, 1220 First Avenue Northeast, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, www.coe.edu or The Jewish United Fund, Ben Gurion Way, 30 South Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606, www.juf.org. To attend the funeral livestream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com

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I am one of the many people Ron helped immensely when I wasn’t at my best and left me with lifelong lessons. Ron
helped countless people get back on their feet. Ron was tremendously compassionate, kind, and above all else, a man of deep devotional faith and an extraordinary father who put his family first leaving an enduring legacy. I send my condolences to Sylvie, Ilana, and to all who loved and will miss him for the rest of their lives. Ron was a good man, indeed a great man. May God rest his soul. May his memory be eternal.

Danny Aull
August 17, 2026
Ron gave a me a chance to trade when no one else would and I had only one thousand dollars to my name. Along the way he left me alone except for the couple of hundred times I needed him to keep me in line. It was never a smooth relationship as it usually isn’t with Ronnie but I felt his love when I needed it most. I will forever be indebted to him.

Dan Zagorin
August 17, 2026
Dear Sylvie and Ilana,

I am so deeply sorry for the loss of your beloved father. My heart goes out to both of you and your entire family during this incredibly difficult time.

May the love, memories, and beautiful moments you shared with him bring you comfort in the days ahead. I hope you find strength in each other and know that you are surrounded by love and support.

May his memory always be a blessing. ❤️

With love,
Amy

Amy Samuelsohn
August 17, 2026
Sylvie you and your entire family are in my prayers. I know this loss is devastating. 🙏🏽❤️

Alzetta Bozeman
August 17, 2026
I’ve known Ron almost all my life. Our families had summer homes in lakeside Michigan. Ron and I spent summers together until I was 12 when my family stopped going there. I lost touch with Ron for many years until I bought a seat at the CBOT and started trading through Ron’s clearing house. We added another 30 years to our friendship. He was a good man, kind and caring. He will be missed. Jimmy Schwartz.

James Schwartz
August 17, 2026
We express our deep condolences to Ilana, Sylvie and the family. We were fortunate to have spent some time with Ron over the years, and enjoyed each of our encounters with him. We smile as we think about the enjoyment that Ron's beloved White Sox must have given him during his last months.
Sending love to all,
Anne and Don Sylvan

Anne and Don Sylvan
August 18, 2026
Ron had a keen business sense, always well-informed, and intuitive over everything. He had an eye for trends, business and otherwise, and separating out what really mattered from the noise. The firm he and my father started over 40 years ago was in an industry that would be unrecognizable today. Eagle’s evolution through decades of enormous changes to the present day is a credit to Ron’s intuition. Also, I don’t think it’s been said enough how tireless he was, up and in the office, taking the random barbs and arrows of a typical day at a trading firm. I don’t remember a lot of vacations. He did this until he was physically unable. Most and surely most in his position and at his age would not have had the will or the stamina to do this. And it was always clear to me that his helping people, giving them jobs, keeping them employed and insured, was always a main part of the equation.

James Aull
August 18, 2026
Ron opened a door to trading to me in 2010 at a time when no one else would. He had his own way of trading the markets which withstood the test of time and he was happy to teach you the ropes. He was a compassionate leader and cared how you were doing. He’d make the rounds at the trading floor to check in on his guys, even if it was only for a brief ‘hello’ or to tell a joke. When you had a big loss, he wanted to talk to you, but not from a disciplinary stand point. It was coming from the heart, to make sure you were alright. And anytime he had to deal with an exchange on behalf of the traders, he stuck up for his guys and made everyone feel that they were looked out for. RIP to a great man.

Will Poekel
August 18, 2026
Sylvie and Ilana I’m sorry for your tremendous loss. May be rest in peace. You are in my thoughts at this difficult time

Liliana Nichamin
August 18, 2026
I was a fraternity brother (AST) in high school and considered myself a good friend of Ron’s but being a south spider did not have but few meetings with him over the years. He was a fun guy and one I especially enjoyed being around. However in high school I discovered he hated the spray from orange peels and I would squeeze the peel and run. He never caught me and may have nicknamed me “squirrel “. My prayers are with his family and loved ones.

Berle Littmann
August 18, 2026
My sincerest sympathies on the passing of your father.

Scott Sherwin
August 19, 2026
I interviewed with Ron at Eagle MM in 2009, and I’ll never forget his opening line “Don’t worry kid, this won’t be too hard. We believe in nepotism here”

Over the next six years, I got to see not only more of his sense of humor, but also his leadership. He knew when to guide, when to challenge, and when to humble you. He wasn’t exactly afraid to raise his voice, you might be on the receiving end of it one minute, but he’d be twice as loud defending you the next.

I attribute much of my success to those early lessons and will always be grateful for the opportunities Ron gave me, along with hundreds of others like me.

RIP RTM

Christopher Macchitelli
August 20, 2026