Lavada Louise Manley

LaVada Louise Bryant Manley LaVada Manley, 96, died on Friday, May 12, 2017. She was born in Pratt, KS on April 21, 1921, the eldest of six children born to William Preston Bryant and Gussie Marie Kelley Bryant.She married Maurice Emerson “Mauri” Manley on January 29, 1939.She worked as a telephone operator during WWII while her husband was stationed in the Pacific theater in the U.S. Navy Seabees.They had one son.Though she held various “hobby” jobs, her primary occupations were as a housewife, mother, and dedicated servant in her church.They moved from LaPuente, CA where they had lived for over 50 years to Florence, SC in 2004 in order to be closer to their son and his family. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 69 years, an infant sister, Virginia May Bryant, and a brother, Duane Kelley Bryant. She is survived by her son, Dr. Don (Julie) Manley of Florence; granddaughters, Stephanie (Gregg) Williams of Florence and Christine Manley of Murfreesboro, TN; great-grandson, Tommy Williams of Florence; brother, William Preston Bryant, Jr. of Mound, OK; sisters, Mary Katherine Rivers of Green Valley, AZ and Gloria (Jim) Easley of Wise River, MT. The family will receive friends from 6 – 8 PM Monday, May 29, 2017 at Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at Highland Park United Methodist Church with burial to follow in the Florence National Cemetery at 11:00 AM.The family will receive friends afterwards at the residence of her son. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Highland Park United Methodist Church, 1300 Second Loop Road, Florence, SC 29505. The family would like to thank Dr. M. Gilliam Skinner for his dedicated care of LaVada over the past several years, Dr. John Gause for surgery that extended her life for over a year, the dedicated staff at Southland Health Care Center for their care over the past year, and McLeod Hospice for their care during the last couple of months.