Helen Manning

Obituary For Helen Manning

Helen Elizabeth Sloulin Manning (26 August 1922 – 19 April 2021) died peacefully at home after 98 years of setting the standard for courage, love, and strength over adversity. As a teacher, she was an early advocate for gifted education.

She was born on a farm that her grandfather purchased in the Kickapoo Valley of Wisconsin after he immigrated from Norway. Her parents both emphasized the importance of education; she learned to read at age three, decided early on to follow in her Aunt Thea’s footsteps and become a teacher, and grew up memorizing poems that she later loved to read with her grandchildren.

During the Great Depression, Helen and her two sisters, Mary and Blanche, and her brother Lawrence lost their family savings as well as both parents, leaving the four teenagers to keep the family together. Lawrence went on to serve with distinction in World War II as a B-17 gunner, Helen’s sisters worked in supporting the war effort and to help Helen herself go to school to become a teacher. The three sisters were a popular trio at USO dances, known as “the blonde, the redhead, and the brunette.”

Shortly after the war, at a time when few women pursued advanced degrees, Miss Sloulin moved to Washington, DC to obtain a master’s degree in education. “I knew what to teach, but I wanted to study how to teach,” she always said. There she met her future husband, John Manning, in the GWU Neumann Club; the two were married for almost 54 years until his death in 2008. Her master’s thesis focused on the challenges of teaching gifted children and the importance of honing their strengths to achieve good in society.

She transitioned her career as an elementary teacher in Arlington to raise her six children: Paul, Therese, Stephen, Patrick, Mary Eileen, and Elizabeth. As her children grew, she became a member of the board at their high school, Bishop Denis J. O’Connell; the priests on assignment at St. Agnes Catholic Church also relied heavily on her to plan the liturgy of the church’s services. She spent the money she made selling Avon products on traveling regularly to the National Pastoral Musicians conferences and other liturgical conventions.

At her alma mater she was an active member of the GWU Columbian Women organization, and particularly enjoyed meeting and speaking with current GWU female students while on its scholarship committee. She loved to explore the goals and dreams of students throughout her long life, listening to their ideas about their education.

For many years she also contributed her time as a volunteer usher at the Barns of Wolf Trap. She was a season ticket holder for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and it was always a treat to be the one to accompany her.

In addition to her six children, Mrs. Manning is survived by 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. All are grateful to have known their beloved Mom, Grandma, Nana, and Gamma, and will miss her deeply. Her private burial took place at Cool Spring Natural Cemetery, next to Holy Cross Abbey near Berryville, Va. Donations to the Abbey (virginiatrappists.org) in her name are welcome.

A memorial service for Helen is planned for June.