Michael Robert Manning

Michael, “Mike,” Manning was born in Seattle, WA to Bob and May Manning. He died peacefully at home with his family after four courageous months with pancreatic cancer. Mike lived in the Seattle area all of his life, except for a brief stint as a toddler in Miles City, Montana, when his parents ran a nightclub called The Crossroads Inn. Mike was a member of the Roosevelt High School Class of 1964 and also studied at Shoreline Community College. In his professional life, Mike was known for his strong work ethic. He began working in the grocery business, and in the late 70’s he started working at Don Campbell Foodservice, Inc. as a mobile caterer. After leaving Don Campbell, Mike worked for The Boeing Co. until he retired in 2007. On January 3rd, 1982, Mike met the love of his life, Katherine “Kathy” Disbrow Ransom. They were wed six months later and this year they would have celebrated 35 years of marriage. In 1983, their daughter Sherry was born and Mike embraced fatherhood, both for his newborn daughter and for his stepdaughter Heidi. Mike and Kathy dedicated themselves to a life of sports parents as Sherry played multiple sports each year. Mike was a devoted sports dad and never missed a game. When their daughter Sherry served in the Peace Corps, Mike and Kathy took the trip of a lifetime to visit her in the Philippines. Another unforgettable trip was the family’s vacation in Spain and the Canary Islands in 2011. Mike had a lifelong passion for cars and loved anything that went “varoom, varoom!” Once their daughters were grown, Mike became a member of Mustangs Northwest and served on the board. Mike spent years showing his prize Mustang cars, winning many trophies and awards, including Best in Show numerous times. Just weeks before his passing, Mike spent a memorable day with his best friend since childhood, Ross Emry, working on his Shelby Mustang. Mike and Kathy enjoyed trips to Hawaii and traveling to Car Shows around the West and Canada. A trip to Las Vegas in 2014 to attend the International Mustang 50th Birthday Celebration was particularly memorable when they got to meet Donny and Marie Osmond. Mike had an uncanny recall of family stories, including dates and events with great accuracy. He adored his family and remembered every detail of their lives. Mike loved sharing funny stories and anecdotes and was always able to find the humor in life. Mike and Kathy developed a unique language of one-liners from the many movies they loved to watch together and Mike could recall a staggering amount of Hollywood history, as well as aviation and World War II history. As a result, his family called him the “Master of Trivia.” Mike and Kathy loved dogs and they shared their life with “Mr. Toby,” a Jack Russell mix, and with “Bogey” beagle. Mike’s family likes to picture him romping in heaven with Mr. Toby, Bogey and his childhood dog “Dandy” at the Rainbow Bridge. Mike is survived by his loving wife Katherine, his daughter Sherry, Stepdaughter Heidi, Son-in-law Kyle, grandson DeLos McFarley, as well as his brother Dick Dwyer, sister-in-law Sue and nephew Don Dwyer. He is preceded in death by his parents, May Rusden and Robert “Bob” Manning, his beloved Aunt Virginia “Ginny” Andrews, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. The family would like to extend a loving thank you to their dear friend Charles Gross who cared for Mike during his illness, as well as the compassionate staff at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Also, a special thank you for the loving care from Dr. Edmond Marzbani, the staff of Northwest Hospital, and Dr. Bruce Milliman, N.D., of Seattle Healing Arts for their kind, loving care of both Mike and Kathy. And very special thank

you to Evergreen Hospice.

We will gather for a life celebration on Saturday April 29 at 1pm at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field for a tribute and reception in honor of our dear husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin, uncle and friend. In lieu of flowers, Mike asked that remembrances go to the Museum of Flight.