Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Wanda Manning left this life on Saturday, May 6, 2023, to join her Savior, Jesus Christ, in Heaven.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Scott’s Funeral Home, with burial following at Pearl Cemetery. Visitation and refreshments were served immediately after graveside services, at the Pearl Community Center.
Wanda Cecile Manning was born at home in Coryell County, near Turnersville on March 6, 1935, to Louis Allen Wendeborn and Edna Mae Tow Wendeborn. She was the youngest of six siblings in the Wendeborn family, earning her the nickname “Baby” for the rest of her days. Wanda graduated from Turnersville High School in 1952. She enjoyed spending time with her school friends playing basketball, cheerleading, and attending sleepovers. She grew up working on the family farm until she moved to Gatesville to take a job as a telegraph operator for the Western Union Telegraph Company. Later she held positions as a telephone operator for the Gulf States Telephone Company, a teller at the Guaranty Bank and Assistant US Postmaster in Pearl. She loved to tell fun stories of her co-workers and all their adventures. Wanda and RC (Bobbie) Manning went on a blind date in 1955 and were married on July 13, 1961. They spent almost 39 years as husband and wife, before his passing in July of 2000. Wanda was a 61 plus year resident of Pearl. She always said the only other place she might consider living would be Mayberry. She loved Pearl and all the people that welcomed her to the community in 1961. Wanda accepted Jesus Christ as her savior in 1977 and was a member of the Pearl Church of Christ for the remainder of her life. Wanda was well-rounded to say the least. She was known for her ability to cook an amazing meal with very little notice, as Bobbie loved to have company come by, eat, and spend the night unexpectedly. They enjoyed many years of dinner parties and impromptu get-togethers with family and dear friends. She was also a skilled homemaker, gardener, hunter, marksman and ranch hand; often the only one who could coax the wild livestock or the uncatchable horse into the pen while her family hid out of sight. She was very devoted to her children’s childhood interests. She was their cheerleader from the grandstands, or the window of the concession stand whether at countless athletic events or endless rodeos! She was also a dedicated caregiver to her in-laws, her mother, her siblings, and her husband when they needed her. You always got a logical and blunt answer if you ask her a question. She was a woman whose theory was “You are not lost as long as you have a full tank of gas!” She wasn’t scared of much, in fact, other than mice, she would take it on, eyes wide open. (She had her beloved dog, Gus, for the mice control) Her constant reminders for her children as they headed out her front door never altered, even into adulthood: “Watch for snakes!” “Watch for deer!” “And wear your toboggan!” You might not have seen her every day, but you knew she was a friend who was just a phone call away. She will be missed by all that knew her and were blessed enough to have her in their life.
Wanda was preceded in death by her parents, Louis A. Wendeborn and Edna Mae Wendeborn, her husband, RC (Bobbie) Manning, her brother, Clinton (Son) Wendeborn, her sisters and brother in-laws: Myrtle (Sister) Winfield and husband, Edwin, Edna Mae (Pudy) Smith and husband, Arlice, Jewel (Shang) Dominik and husband, Johnny, and Louise (Toat) Blunschi and husband, Will and a daughter-in-law, Paula Manning. Wanda was also preceded in death by her beloved dog and hunting buddy, Gus.
Wanda is survived by her son, Craig Manning of Pearl, daughter, Rhonda Dickey, and husband, Garrett Dickey of Pearl, grandchildren: Zane, Cooper, Cole, and Blake, and great-grandchildren: Zaden, Bennett, Jackson and Claire, beloved nieces, nephews and cousins and a lifetime of dear friends.
Wanda’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to any of the following, as Wanda loved her community: the Pearl Church of Christ (6790 FM 183 E, Gatesville, TX 76528), Pearl Cemetery Association (℅ Debra Holloway, 5840 FM 183, Evant, TX 76525) or the Pearl Community Center (℅ Bettie Blakley 2082 FM 1690, Gatesville, TX 76528).
