William Edward Manning, 95, born to Samuel Leonard and Bertha Piatt Manning on Dec. 28, 1926, in Belen, N.M., passed away on June 8, 2022, in Albuquerque, N.M. His father was a conductor for the Santa Fe Railroad and his mother was a Harvey girl, also for the Santa Fe Railroad. Not only did the Santa Fe play an important part in the life of his parents, it would also strongly influence his childhood and teenage years spent in the railroad hub of Belen.
He joined the Air Corps Cadets while still in high school and served as a member of the Air Corps in post-war Germany. He started his higher education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He then worked with the U.S. government immunization program in Mexico to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease. Following the work in Mexico, he returned to complete his degree in agriculture at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
After getting his degree, his job took him to Portales, N.M., where he met the love of his life and devoted wife of 60 years, Margaret Aline Hudson. During his life, Bill lived and worked in New Mexico, Texas, Colombia, Iran and Mexico.
He and Aline settled in the Pagosa Springs, Colo.,area in 1977, where they lived long and happily, surrounded by the natural beauty and abundant wildlife of the San Juan National Forest near Chimney Rock.
Bill loved and cared for many animals, enjoying the cowboy life of horses, hunting and mountain living. Stories he would tell and his enduring sense of humor entertained those around him.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Aline; his son, David V. Manning; and his siblings, Roy, Irma, Marion and Bob. He is survived by his daughters, Susan Perry, of Albuquerque; Anita Kay and husband Juergen Goldmann, of Chimney Rock; and daughter-in-law, Joyce Manning, of Sparta, Mo. Bill’s four surviving nieces are Marianne Warfield Doran, Nancy Warfield-Baker, Melissa Manning and Melinda Manning.
Grandchildren are Stephanie Gurule, Sean Gurule, Lara Goldmann, Jordana Goldmann, LaDonna Moore and Michelle Manning. He has seven great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
