Marjorie Manning

Mrs. Manning died May 29, 2003 after a brief illness at Trinity Mother Francis Medical Center.

She was born February 22, 1916 in the coal mining town of Roslyn, Washington – literally a coal miner’s daughter. She was graduated from Clelum High School, Washington in 1934.

She was graduated from Eastern Washington College of Education, Ellensburg, Washington with a teaching certificate in 1936. She taught public school in Vancouver, Washington from 1936 to 1940.

She was graduated from the University of Washington in 1941 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. There she met her husband of 61 years, Alan, and they were married December 14, 1941, a week after the Pearl Harbor attack. During WWII, she served the war effort at home in Seattle, Washington.

From 1948 to 1950, Mrs. Manning served as the orchestral conductor in the Kent Public Schools, Kent, Washington, working for Alan who was principal. During this period of her life, she became the loving mother to her two children. She and the children accompanied her husband to Houston, Texas in 1951 and then on to Tyler in 1953.

She continued her dedication to education by first serving as the President of the Bell Elementary School PTA for 1954-55. She was a Cub Scout den mother and Girl Scout leader. She taught summer bible school classes and was a charter member of Pollard Methodist Church, providing a facility for the first children’s Sunday school classes in her living room. She was a teacher at the Caldwell School for Special Needs Children from 1965 to 1969. She worked for the Smith County Mental Health/Mental Retardation organization as an educational counselor from 1969-1973.

Mrs. Manning attended several courses at Stephen F. Austin University for special education and was graduated from the University of Texas, Tyler in 1975 with a Master of Arts degree in Education. She served as the Director of Preschool for Special Needs students in the Mineola school system from 1976 to 1980.

She never lost her love for music and from 1976 to 1986 held the principal position of the second violin section for the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. From 1986 to 1989, she was a member of the University of Texas, Tyler chamber orchestra. She continued her search for knowledge her entire life including learning Russian, participating in garden clubs and teaching herself oil landscape painting.