Grady Ward Manley, Sr.

Grady Ward Manley, Sr. was born on May 12, 1932, in Dale, TX, to Grady Quinn Manley and Anabel (Shinn) Manley. He loved the Bible from a very young age, learning his ABCs with stories of Bible characters whose names began with the letters of the alphabet, and he began memorizing Bible verses when he was two years old. His personal relationship with Jesus began when he was eight. After moving to Michigan for just 6 weeks, his family moved to Houston, TX, when Grady was in the 6th grade. In 8th grade, he was introduced to the clarinet, which began his love of music. He graduated from Reagan High School in 1949.

During his senior year of high school, Grady felt the call of God on his life to the ministry. He was ordained in the Assemblies of God in 1958. He spent 2 years at the University of Houston, 2 years at Central Bible Institute in Springfield, MO, and finished his Bachelor of Science in Missions and Bachelor of Theology degree at Southern Bible College (Houston, TX) in 1964. After completing his course work in 1968, he earned his Master of Theology degree from Southern Nazarene University (Bethany, OK) in 1974.

Grady pastored in Brookshire, TX; Taylorsville, TX; Nacogdoches, TX; Lincoln, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; and Smithville, TX. He served as a staff pastor in Phoenix, AZ; Independence, MO; Edmond, OK; Sacramento, CA; and Austin, TX. He taught Bible and theology at Southern Bible College, Bible for the Fisherfolk Ministry (Millbrae, Scotland), Bible and math at Foothill Christian High School (Roseville, CA), Bible Christian School (Austin, TX), and Bible at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (Austin, TX). He has authored children’s church and theology teaching materials, computer training courses, and 4 books borne out of his life-long passion of teaching the Bible.

On June 20, 1956, Grady and Janice Louise Lister were married in Houston. Their 3 children are Grady Ward Manley, Jr. (1957), Ruth Ann Toon (1959), and Ronda Kay Christmas (1962). They have 6 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. He has 1 sister, Lunola Boydene (Dene) Redmon; and 2 brothers, Tommy Ross and Granville Ellis.

Grady wrote a memoir of his life for his descendants. He concluded his life story with these words: “The bottom line is this. You have no treasure in this life more precious than your faith. Life without a living, intimate, enduring fellowship with Jesus is empty, even when things are going well. When trouble or disaster strikes, He is our only source of strength and hope. Let nothing rob you of your relationship with Him; let nothing separate you from the strength that comes from fellowship with fellow believers in the church. These are riches that will sustain you in every circumstance of life.”