GUILDERLAND — Mary Stuart Manning, a free-spirited woman dedicated to her family, died in her home on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015.

Mrs. Manning was born in Port Byron, New York, to Jessie Weaver Manning and Ralph Monroe Manning on Feb. 22, 1926.

She graduated from Port Byron High School, and then, according to a tribute from her family, “took on the position of a dedicated mother.”

Thirty years later, she worked a variety of jobs in order to support her family, before taking a steady job at General Electric.

After she retired, she went to work for Tawasentha Park, in Guilderland, where she tended to the flower gardens.

Her family wrote that she devoted herself to the things she loved, including reading, baking, gardening, sewing, and knitting.

“She adored opera music,” they wrote, “but, most of all, she loved her family and committed herself to them.”

“Mary Manning was a free spirit with a kindred heart. Known for her dramatic ways, which can be looked upon with fond memories, she was loved by all those whose lives she touched,” wrote her family. “She has left behind a legacy which will never be forgotten and her spirit will live on in the hearts of those who hold her memories dear.”

****

She is survived by her sons, William, and his wife, Karen, and Stuart, and his wife, Nina; her daughters, Suzanne, Priscilla, and her husband, Robert, and Martha, and her husband, Thumper; 13 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and her beloved Sophie.

A memorial celebration will be held in Tawasentha Park on Oct. 11 from noon to 4 p.m. Arrangements are by the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont.

Memorial contributions may be made to Guilderhaven, Inc., 6655 Route 158, Altamont, NY 12009, or to WMHT, by going online to www.callswithoutwalls.com.