Frank R. Manning (“Pa”) passed away peacefully on April 1, 2024 after a hard-fought battle with heart failure. He is reunited in heaven with the love of his life, his wife Joanne. He is survived by their five children: Tracy (Ed), Frank (Krissy), Wendy, Michelle (Chris) and Kevin (Sherry) and their twelve grandchildren: Emily and Will Keeney; Frank, Kassidy, Karly and Kelty Manning; Nicholas and Tyler Bajakian; Christopher and Caitlyn Johnson; and Logan and Lila Manning. One of his greatest joys was watching them dance and play sports – Pa was a famous presence on the sidelines cheering them on!
Frank grew up in Dumont and attended Dumont High School, where he played football, basketball and was an All-State baseball player. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, where he worked in the electrical room and was also a boxer. After the Navy, he returned to Dumont and became a Dumont Police Officer. Frank’s passion was to be a coach, so he went to William Paterson College to get certified for teaching. He taught Mathematics at Dumont High School for 30 years, and coached football, baseball, track and wrestling. With no prior wrestling experience, Coach Manning built the high school program from the ground up. After Joanne passed, Frank moved to Allegro, an adult community in Harrington Park, and served as “mayor” and storyteller to the delight of residents and staff. We will all miss his sense of humor and his stories!
Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Rosemary Manning, and brother-in-law Pete. He leaves behind his two sisters, Pat and Maureen (Gary), and many special friends.
Visitation Thursday, April 4th, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Frech-McKnight Funeral Home, 161 Washington Ave., Dumont. The Funeral Mass will be offered Friday, April 5th, 11:00 AM at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church, Bergenfield. All are invited to gather directly at the church at 10:45 AM. A private cremation will follow. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider honoring Frank with a donation to the Frank Manning Wrestling Scholarship. Make checks payable to “Dumont Board of Education,” and on the memo line write “Frank Manning Wrestling Scholarship.” Please mail checks to Jamie O’Neill, 62 Wilkens Drive, Dumont, NJ 07628.