Fr. Paul R. Manning

Reverend Paul R. Manning, 89, of Lourdes Noreen McKeen Residence, West Palm Beach, FL passed away after a lengthy illness. Born and raised in Newark (Vailsburg), NJ, he was predeceased by his parents Gerald Manning and Lillian (Morrison) Manning. Surviving are his brother, Robert and wife Tina of York, ME, niece Francine Pidgeon and husband Bill of Davie, FL, nephew Duane and significant other, Thayer Kelley of South Hero, VT. Also, godson Mark Sanchez and dear friends Eileen Butka, Luis Sanchez and family, Fr. Jack Holian, Fred Roden, Mario Mangila, and many other friends, former students, and fellow priests.

Fr. Paul Manning studied at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington, NJ and was ordained into priesthood on May 25, 1959. He spent many years as a teacher of Mathematics at Seton Hall Prep, South Orange, NJ, Union Catholic High School, Scotch Plains, NJ and Oratory Preparatory School, Summit, NJ. Fr. Manning went on to become Headmaster at Oratory Prep from 1992- 1994. He was also the weekend assistant at St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church, Summit, NJ for many years.

Fr. Manning held BA and MA degrees from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, a STB degree from Catholic University, Washington, DC, and MA and Ph.D. degrees from New York University, where he studied at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Science. The Archdiocese of Newark named Fr. Manning, Math Dept. Chairman at Oratory Prep, Summit, NJ as the outstanding Catholic School Educator in 1998.

As a member of Oratory Prep staff beginning in 1976, Fr. Manning taught French, Latin, Spanish, Greek, Religion, and Mathematics, his true love. During his tenure at Oratory Prep, Fr. Manning was moderator of the school yearbook, The Aries, the Math Club, the Chess Team, and the French Club. As coach of the tennis team, he led the varsity team to first place in the Mountain Valley Conference Championship. After 19 years as tennis coach, he retired with 214 wins. As moderator of the Math Club, he guided his team to 1st place in the Tri-State Math League 1997-98.

Fr. Manning was the recipient of various educational awards. In 1986 he was named finalist for the Presidential Award in Mathematics in NJ. In 1991 he was awarded the Princeton Prize for secondary school teaching, presented to him at Princeton University. The Engineering School of Manhattan College honored him as Outstanding Mathematics Educator in 1992. He was also named the Tandy Scholar in 1993.

In addition to his dedication and love of teaching others, Fr. Manning continued to further his own education. He was awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for Humanities to study Latin and Greek at Harvard University in 1992. In 1997 he was named Fulbright Scholar and studied in the Fulbright Classics Seminars in Rome and Naples.

He retired to sunny West Palm Beach in 2004, where he enjoyed dining out with family and friends, walking on the beach, lounging and reading poolside, and attending operas, especially those by his favorite composer, Giuseppe Verdi. Along with his brother Robert, he was a loyal fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He also enjoyed many fun trips taking his niece and nephew on great getaways.

For all the lives that were touched in some way over the years by Fr. Paul, he will be missed.

A visitation for Fr. Manning will be held Sunday, March 12, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Quattlebaum Funeral, Cremation and Event Center, 5411 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33417. A funeral service will occur Monday, March 13, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Lourdes Noreen McKeen, 315 S Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. A graveside service will occur Monday, March 13, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, 10941 Southern Blvd, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Fr. Manning’s name to the Macular Degeneration Association, 5969 Cattleridge Blvd., Suite 100, Sarasota, FL 34232, www.macularhope.org.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.quattlebaumFH.com for the Manning family.