December 12, 2024
REST IN PEACE
John J. Manning, 85, of Yonkers, NY, passed away peacefully on Thursday December 12, 2024 after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Evelyn, son Brian & his wife Becky, and granddaughters Hannah & Emily. He is also survived by his brothers James & wife Helen, Dennis & wife Nancy, Kevin, and countless cousins, nieces & nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents James and Julia, his sister-in-law Anastasia, and the many other family members who have passed on before him.
John was an amazing man who enjoyed life to the fullest, loved his family and reminisced on the past as a way to celebrate the amazing times he shared with everyone. He laughed on a regular basis, loved to recount old familiar stories and greatly enjoyed the company of his friends & family.
He was born in 1939 in the South Bronx, grew up attending Saints Peter and Paul Grammar School (Class of 1952), Cathedral Prep (Class of 1956), Cathedral College (Class of 1958), and eventually entered St. Joseph’s Seminary (Class of 1964) to formally join the priesthood as a Roman Catholic Priest. His assignments throughout New York included Immaculate Conception in Amenia, St. Gregory’s in Manhattan and St. Athanasius back in the Bronx. During his time in the priesthood, he was active with leading the musical groups of his parishes, overseeing the youth groups, and taking summer trips to the Dominican Republic to better learn the Spanish language. While he loved his calling as a priest, he decided to leave the priesthood in 1979 to look after his aging parents and eventually married his wife Evelyn in 1981.
He took up his studies at Iona College after leaving the priesthood, earning his Masters in Business Administration there and getting a job with Con Edison as a Gas Sales Manager where he worked until his retirement in 2006. He and Evelyn had their first and only child, Brian, in 1985. The three of them built an amazing life together in Yonkers and enjoyed many beautiful memories over the years.
After his retirement in 2006, John enjoyed his time a professional man of leisure, regularly enjoying his Old Fashioneds, cigars and reading his newspapers. He loved taking trips with Evelyn to visit family members, visited his parents’ homeland of Ireland multiple times and took regular trips to see his brothers and extended family. Music was also a huge passion of his as he regularly sang in the church choir at his parish of St. Bartholomew’s and upon retirement, he joined The Westchester Chordsmen acapella group for a 15-year stint with them. He traveled the country (and even the world) with that group, performing, taking part in competitions, and living a dream of being part of an accomplished acapella group. He also enjoyed regular trips to Ohio where Brian settled down after college, initially in Cincinnati and later in Cleveland. He loved spending time there with Brian, Becky and his granddaughters Hannah & Emily. Brian and his family also took regular trips back to New York to visit John & Evelyn, making such amazing memories there together.
In recent months, his 3rd bout with prostate cancer unfortunately proved to be terminal but he kept up his positive spirit throughout. He accepted visitors who stopped by to check in and pick up his spirits. He made phone calls to check in with family members and friends as much as he could with the assistance of his wife Evelyn. The disease took a lot out of him but his spirit and love for his family & friends never wavered. John cared so much about all of those who were close to him in his life, and we thank you all for your support & love for him throughout the years.
Formal services will be held on Monday and Tuesday of this upcoming week. Wake will be at Flynn Memorial Home at 1652 Central Avenue in Yonkers, NY from 3:00 PM-8:00 PM on Monday December 16th. Funeral will be held at St. Bartholomew’s Church at 15 Palmer Road in Yonkers, NY at 11:00 AM on Tuesday December 17th with a burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Westchester Chordsmen a "https://chordsmen.org/donate" in John’s memory & name. For those who cannot attend in person, video of the services will be made available in the coming days to follow.
Flynn Memorial Home, Inc.
1652 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10710
914-963-5178
www.flynnmemorialhome.com
John was a long time CORPUS member.