Obituary of Richard J. Manning

Richard J. Manning Richard Joseph Manning, 81, of Apalachin, NY, died Friday, November 9, 2012 at Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, NY, after a brief illness. Richard (known to many as Dick or "Ducky") was born to the late John and Margaret Manning on December 22, 1930 in Manchester, NH. The third of nine children, he met his late wife, Norma (McMahon) of Lawrence, MA, at Hampton Beach, NH when the two were teenagers. In January 1951, Richard enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. He trained at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina and fought in the Korean War. His tour of duty ended in January 1954 when he returned home as a Sergeant. Eight months later, Richard and Norma were married. One year after the couple's marriage, their first child, Kathleen, was born, followed by Maureen 11 months later, and Erin 13 months after that. Upon his graduation from University of New Hampshire, Durham, magna cum laude in 1958, Richard accepted a job in finance/budgets at the General Electric Company, where he spent his entire career. His two sons, Sean and Patrick were born in Pittsfield, MA in 1960 and 1964. Richard then attended graduate school at UMass/Amherst where he received a master's degree in business administration. After Pittsfield, his family relocated two more times, to Whitesboro, NY and finally to Apalachin, NY, where his 6th child, Margaret (Meg), was born in 1979. He enjoyed frequent vacations and visits with his 6 children and 9 grand-children until the time of his death. His children, grandchildren and siblings remember him as a strong, humble and devout man of few words. He always put the needs of his family, friends, and even strangers, ahead of his own. The Marine Corp motto, Semper fi ("Always Faithful"), is perhaps the shortest and best summary of who Richard was and how he lived his life. Richard is survived by his six children Kathleen Manning of Syracuse, NY, Maureen Manning (Michael Walsh) of Cambridge, MA; Erin Linnell (Richard) of Concord, NH; Sean Manning (Maureen McManus) of Binghamton, NY; Patrick Manning (Sandra) of Watertown, NY; Meg Manning (James Goodhue) of Maynard, MA; his 9 grandchildren, Sean & Shannon, Alice & Daniel, Molly & Melanie, Shawn, Karli and Myah; and his siblings, Mary Byerley of Tampa, FL, Margaret Walega of Manchester, NH, Eileen Feather of Methuen, MA, and Daniel Manning of Manchester, NH. Richard was predeceased by his loving wife of 47 years, Norma; his siblings, Jack Manning, Ruth Jennings, Constance Hunt, and Robert (Bo) Manning. Calling hours: 4 - 7 pm, Sunday, November 11 at Coleman Daniels funeral home, Rt. 434, Apalachin, NY. Funeral Mass: 11am, Monday, November 12 at St. Margaret Mary's Church (Blessed Trinity), 1110 Pennsylvania Avenue, Apalachin, followed by burial with military honors at Calvary Cemetery, Johnson City, NY. Those wishing an expression of sympathy, kindly consider, in lieu of flowers, a donation in Richard's memory to St. Margaret Mary's Church (Blessed Trinity), 1110 Pennsylvania Avenue, Apalachin, NY 13732.