Obituary of Donald Lee Manning

Donald Lee Manning, age 89, passed away on Saturday, May 8, 2021 at his home in Murfreesboro, TN. Mr. Manning was born on August 26, 1931 in Pemberton, WV to Howard and Nancy Marshall Manning. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Leona Payne Manning; his daughter, Cynthia Manning; his son-in-law Dale Utterback; and 8 siblings, Willie, Edward, Robert, Kenneth, Virginia, Melvin, Okey and Jean. He was a devoted husband to Leona, and they were rarely apart during their 59 years of marriage. Survivors include his daughter Deborah Utterback of Murfreesboro, TN; son Dwayne Manning and wife Linda of Rockvale, TN; grandchildren Andrew Manning and wife Kim, Emily Utterback Gilreath and husband Justin, Brian Manning and wife Jessica, Matthew Utterback and partner Kharin Ziegler, and great-grandchildren Lauren and Seth Manning, Zachary and Logan Gilreath, Landon and McKenzie Manning and Shyanne Carr, and Ben Utterback. He is also survived by his sister Helen Preast and husband Robert of Albany, Ohio; brother Virgil Manning of MacArthur, West Virginia; brother Ross Manning of Ridgeville, Ohio and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Mr. Manning attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia and graduated from Beckley College with an Associate’s Degree. During the Korean War, Mr. Manning served honorably as an Airman First Class in the United States Air Force. He served as a law enforcement officer for the Detroit Police Department for 35 years, retiring as a Detective Lieutenant. Mr. Manning was a faithful Christian and long time member of Temple Baptist Church in Detroit and of World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. He loved spending time with his family and especially enjoyed watching his son, grandsons, and great grandsons play baseball. Visitation with the family will be Tuesday evening, May 11 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Murfreesboro Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held at Evergreen Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, May 12.