John James "Butch" Manning, Jr., 81, of New Bedford, passed away after a period of declining health on Tuesday, December 27, 2022. He was the husband of the late and dearly beloved Donna M. (Altman) Manning.
Born February 9, 1941 in his childhood home in New Bedford. He was the son of the late John J. and Marion M. (Bielski) Manning, he remained living in New Bedford all of his life.
John was a devoted Catholic, working as a sexton at Sacred Heart Parish for most of his life and was heavily involved with St. Vincent de Paul and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Butch graduated from Holy Name Grammar School in 1955, and went on to take up Carpentry at New Bedford Vocational High School. He took immense pride in his heritage, being Polish and Irish and most of all was always extremely patriotic and loved collecting American flags. Butch loved playing basketball and baseball from a young age and very much enjoyed going to Lincoln Park Amusement Park in Dartmouth with his wife and son for many years, where he also gained another nickname "Bear". He worked as a painter most of his life along with many other professions, but he truly was a jack of all trades. You could always find him in his workshop fixing or building something, he always jokingly referred to himself that he could have been a Contender. His sense of humor never left him, even in the end.
In his retirement John enjoyed living a simple life. Feeding the birds always brought him immense joy over the years and just sitting and watching them, having a cup of coffee with some oreos listening to Bruce Springstein, Johnny Cash, Jim Croce and tons of other oldies. He loved cooking in his free time, most special to him with any recipe was his favorite kielbasa or chocolate cake - he never lost his love for sweets. Anyone who knew John in his later years, knew immediately how much he dearly loved and missed his darling wife Donna after her passing in 2014. He was always sharing stories of her to anyone who would listen, to keep her memory alive. H.O.L.L.A.N.D. was a phrase the two of them shared after getting married in 1969 and would write down on everything, standing for "Hope Our Love Lasts And Never Dies" He is finally at peace in eternal heaven with her, their love for each other truly never died - even in death and will forever live on.
Survivors include his son, John J. Manning III of New Bedford; his daughter-in-law, Agatha Manning of New Bedford; his sister Kathleen Paiva of East Taunton; his grandchildren, Leanne and Kristen Manning; his great-grandson Nolan Lacerda Jr.; many nieces; nephews; and his great-grand dog Mac.
He is predeceased by his dear sister Margaret Rose "Dolly" Manning, along with his brother Richard Manning and sister Marion Leclair; Along with his family waiting for him in heaven are his cherished dog Bronco and precious cat Stinky.
In keeping with John's wishes, there will be no visitation or service. A Mass of Remembrance will be held in John and Donna's memory on Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at 4 PM at Holy Name Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus Church in New Bedford.
In lieu of flowers, For those who wish - John wanted any and all donations made in his memory to go directly to his granddaughter Leanne Manning, towards his great-grand dog Mac's ongoing oncology treatments.