Thomas D. Manning
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December 19, 1953 - March 9, 2026 Per his request, there will be no services or funeral. A celebration of life will be held at the VFW in Otsego on March 18th from 4-6pm. The event will be casual in nature, so feel free to stop by at any time during these hours. In lieu of flowers, Tom asked that donations be made to Wings of Hope hospice in Allegan, Michigan. A special thanks to Tom’s nurse, Jenna and all of the staff for their help. |
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Thomas Duane Manning, 72, of Otsego Michigan, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though he never liked being the center of attention, he deserves to have his many years of love honored. He was a hard-working, kind, and generous man who would always brighten up the room with his smile, never met a person he wasn’t willing to help, and left a lasting impact on everyone that knew him. Tom moved to Otsego as a child, where he graduated from high school in 1972. Shortly thereafter, he began his long (40+ year) career at Parker-Hannifin, where he was widely respected and admired by his coworkers. He was known for always being the guy to step up, especially when it was a job others didn’t want to take on themselves or later in his career where he would take weekend shifts so other young parents could spend time with their families. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and always called Mackinac Island his “happy place.” A lover of the outdoors, Tom enjoyed spending time in the fresh air – nature walks, long bike rides, or simply sitting on a patio or deck and taking it all in. He was also a diehard sports fan, particularly the Detroit Lions, which he passed down to his kids – thanks a lot, Dad. Though he never saw them win the big one, countless hours were spent surrounded by loved ones yelling at them through the TV. Most of all, he enjoyed the simplest thing in life – spending time with his family. In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by his brothers-in-law, Jim Langdon of Otsego, MI, Rick Banks of Otsego, MI, and Terry Banks of Otsego, MI; and his granddaughter, Sierra Fetterolf Tom is survived by his wife of nearly 45 years, Sherry Manning of Otsego, MI; his 3 children Nichole (Drew) Warner of Lake Leelanau, MI, Justin Manning of Seattle, WA, and Jamie Manning, of Otsego, MI; sisters Pat Langdon of Otsego, MI, Sue (Terry) LaForest of Muskegon, MI, and Pam (Terry) Morse of Plainwell, MI; his grandchildren Shelby Fetterolf, Noah Fetterolf, Emma Fetterolf, Eli Warner, and Maya Warner; and his siblings-in-law Deb (Steve) Boyer, Sheryl (Jeff) Pirrone, Todd (Chris) Banks, and Patti Banks | |