Charles Manning

Charles Manning, 81, of Byron, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.   Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Sardis-Heard Funeral Home with Reverend Ed Chambless officiating.  The family will greet friends for a time of visitation one hour prior to service.  Burial will follow at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens.

Charles was born on November 9, 1942, in Mobile, Alabama, to the late Robert Roscoe and Lois Manning. Charles was a Christian from his childhood and lived his life according to his faith. He was a doer from the beginning. At the age of nine, his mother passed away leaving his father four children to raise. His father would not split them as relatives suggested because he believed they were his children to raise. Charles took on many of the duties of the home so that his father could work. During the summer, he worked his grandfather’s cotton fields in the Alabama heat so that he had money for school clothes the next year. He was proud that only his father could out pick him. His little sister always stuck close to him because every now and then her big brother would stuff some of his cotton in her bag. A few years later he would wake up at dawn to throw his paper route. Eventually he saved enough to buy a car. He was quite proud of his 55 Chevy. After graduation he tried to join the military. He passed each test until the hearing exam. Partial loss of hearing from a childhood sickness prevented him from serving his country the way that he had hoped. When he realized that the military was not an option, he went to work in the shipyards. It was hard manual labor. He learned many skills that he would carry throughout life. He later sought and found a job at Warner Robins Air Force Base. Although he couldn’t fight in Vietnam, he supported the effort by repairing damaged aircraft. When it came time for him to buy a home in Middle Georgia, he decided to build his own home. To him, that meant doing everything you could do and then hiring out as little as possible. After work, he would drive around empty home construction sites so that he could see how they joined beams or installed pipes so that he could do the same. He was an avid bowler, winning many league matches over the years. He was a runner and competed in the Labor Day Road Race in Macon. He lifted weights at the gym and rode his bike into his seventies. He enjoyed tennis and played many matches at the Byron Park, even into his later years with his grandkids. He always joined in whatever activity his grandkids were doing -  Softball, basketball, football, swinging, washers, just to name a few. He was just as fierce a competitor outside as he was inside a board game. He enjoyed playing board games with both his adult siblings and his grandchildren. He married the love of his life in the late eighties and together they were an awesome team. They were a match made in heaven. Each loved and respected the other. Charles wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice anything for his Darling. His wife of thirty-six years cared for him their whole marriage but became his caretaker in his final years. He always made it known that he loved her dearly and told her so in his last words. They shared ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. “Poppy” as he was known to the grandkids was the most wonderful grandfather you could ask for. If ever something was in need of repair, he could and would always fix it for them. Not only was he playful, but he was wise and intelligent. He always did what was right. He was truthful, hardworking, straight-laced and dependable. Charles was his family’s rock.

Charles is survived by his wife of thirty-six years, Teresa Ann Manning; his three stepchildren, Lisa Reynolds of Centerville, Georgia, Mandy Howell of Macon, Georgia, and Angela Edge of Savannah, Georgia; his grandchildren, Chris Boggs, Courtney Coulter, Joseph Howell, Grace Howell, Faith Howell, Joy Howell, Kyle Sherrill, Kaleb Ingram, Aaron Edge, and Raegan Edge; his ten great great-grandchildren; his brother, Gordon Manning of Rantoul, Illinois; his sister, Linda Franklin of Oneonta, Alabama; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert Roscoe and Lois Manning and his sister, Barbara Jean “Jeannie” Castle.

Please visit www.sardisheardfunerals.com to express your condolences.

Sardis-Heard Funeral Home, 6125 Houston Road, Macon, Georgia 31216, has charge of the arrangements.