James R. Manning
April 24, 1938- January 18, 2018
James (Jim) Manning passed away peacefully with his family by his side on January 18, 2018 at age 79. He was born April 24, 1938 and spent his childhood in Ishpeming on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before his family moved to Northern California. After graduating from Alhambra High School in Martinez, CA he attended U.C. Berkeley where he studied engineering. He met the love of his life Linda Janssen during his senior year at CAL and they married June 18, 1960 at St Perpetua’s Catholic Church in Lafayette, CA. Jim became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and he and Linda traveled widely including posts at the Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, VA, and SHAPE Headquarters in Paris, France. Jim had an 18 month tour of duty in Korea, separating him from his young family. After 9 years of active duty, Jim resigned from the military and settled in California to raise his family, spending the rest of his career in construction management at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Highlights of his work included construction of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and several hydroelectric plants in Northern California.
Jim and Linda enjoyed an early retirement and traveled widely both abroad and touring the U.S. in their motorhome. They enjoyed skiing and boating at Lake Tahoe and spending time with their grandchildren. Jim was an Irishman through and through and could captivate a room full of people with his stories and jokes. He loved history, reading, discussing politics and planning his next big trip!
Jim was pre-deceased by his son, William (Bill) in 1988 and his wife Linda in 2016, as well as his sister Kathleen and parents Robert and Mary Manning. He lovingly cared for Linda during her long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, determined to keep her in the family home until she passed away 17 months ago. He was heartbroken without his life-long companion and his health gradually deteriorated until he succumbed after a brief illness. He is survived by his daughter Christine Haller, son-in-law Doug Haller and their 3 children, Tim, Jameson and Madelyn of San Rafael, CA; sister- and brother-in-law Kathy and Steve Jones of Medford, OR and their family.
A deeply spiritual man and devout Catholic, he looked forward to being reunited with Linda in paradise. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday Jan. 25th at 11 am at St Joan of Arc Catholic Church in San Ramon, followed by internment at Queen of Heaven cemetery in Lafayette, CA. Friends are welcomed to attend. Donations in his name may be made to Catholic Charities or a charity of your choice.