Bruce Manning

Early Thursday morning, July 12, 2018, we lost our dear friend, Bruce Manning, to an unexpected heart attack.  He is gone too soon, and he will be dearly missed.

If you knew Bruce, you likely engaged in a lively debate along the way.  Extraordinarily intelligent, well read, socially conscious, anti-establishment, passionate, and EVER opinionated, Bruce never left you wondering where he stood.  A real life "MacGyver", Bruce could design, fix, or operate just about anything.

Bruce started life on February 12th, 1951 in Dallas Texas, and spent his formative years in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, near Tulsa. The second oldest of four brothers, Bruce was a stand out athlete and student, particularly excelling in baseball (earning a college scholarship) and in math and sciences and "shop".  He matriculated to Northeastern State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1974.  Upon graduation, he went to work in the oil and steel mill industries, leveraging his mechanical skills to identify problems and fix complex machinery supporting production.  Concurrently, Bruce supplemented his income as a gentleman farmer.

In 1978, Bruce entered the business world, founding ABBCO Construction Management, an industrial construction management and project supervisory firm in Muskogee, OK.  After eight successful years as an entrepreneur and small business owner, Bruce retired and relocated to Park City, Utah in 1987, where he became a Level II ski instructor.  A master of the physics and mechanics of proper skiing, Bruce advised, advanced, and entertained ski clients over the next 15 years.  Bruce's most successful ski instruction resulted in his meeting and marrying the love of his life, Jan Manning, in 1992.  From the first "stem christie", Bruce knew he had found his partner in life.  Over the next 25 years, Bruce and Jan would teach skiing together, travel and explore the beauty and diversity of the world, protect the environment and vulnerable creatures, and take care of those who were less fortunate.

Bruce (rather unintentionally) became a mentor, confidant and father figure to many young men and miscellaneous family members and friends who found themselves in Park City, providing temporary housing, life and mechanical advice, and a little laughter and "coloring outside the lines" along the way.  He shared his love of live music, houseboat camping, fishing, nautical navigating, and dogmatism (no, not Bruce!)

Bruce is predeceased by his parents, Bea and George Manning, and his brothers Clark Manning and Hugh Manning.  He is survived by his wife Jan, his daughter Paula Manning, his grandson Ben Manning Doubet, his brother Scott Manning (Angelika), his sisters in-law Pam Anderson & Carol Manning, his niece Alyssa Manning (Daniel Gendron), his nephew Brett Manning (Sarah), his niece Claire Manning (Semir Dzebo) and his cherished pride of felines, Lumpy, Barney, Alice and Frankie.

A celebration of Bruce's life will be held on July 28th, 2018 at 4:30 pm at Bruce and Jan's beloved homestead on Cat Tail Lane in Oakley, Utah.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Bruce at Best Friends Animal Society (www.bestfriends.org‎) or Utah Open Lands (www.utahopenlands.org)