Emily L. McManamy |
| Posted 2009-04-16 by Sharon |
| The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ July 4, 2001, p. A6 Emily L. McManamy was born on Jan. 29, 1916 in Thorne, N.D. Her parents, Fred and Grace Leigh, owned the Plainview Seed Farm which was 12 miles from the Peace Garden, on the Canadian border. Emily and her sister Helen helped with the cooking for the hired hands who worked the 1,800-acre farm. A younger sister, Lois, died at the age of 13. Her many stories of the farm didn't include the "I walked five miles in the snow" story. Emily was driving at the age of 12, and she drove herself and her sisters to school every day. Emily graduation from the University of North Dakota in 1936 with a degree in dietetics. She further trained in Salt Lake City and became a registred dietitian, of which she was very proud. She was the head of the dietetics department at San Jose Hospital in California for many years. In 1948, she married John (Jack) McManamy and had two children, Beth and Rex Christopher. Jack found out in 1955 that he had Parkinson's Disease and was told to move to a drier climate. In 1958, Jack got in the car and started driving east. When he got to the town of Wickenburg, he found what he was looking for -- a piece of property on the Phoenix Highway caught his attention because it had a small house and a business building on it. He purchased the property and went back to California to get Emily and the kids. The Sunset Rock Shop was born, the kids started school at MacLennan Elementary, and Emily started working for the First Presbyterian Church on Sunday. Jack died in 1962 when his Parkinson's became severe and he got pneumonia. By now, Emily loved Wickenburg and knew that this was the town she wanted her kids to grow up in. Beth graduated from Wickenburg High School in 1969, and Rex in 1971. Emily moved to Flagstaff in 1971 so her children could live at home while they attended Northern Arizona University. Rex moved to the East Coast, married Cheryl and they had a daughter, Leigh. In 1986, Emily moved to Phoenix to be near Beth and her family. Beth and Vice had adopted Nicole when she was 3 days old, and Emily was in heaven helping to care for her. As Nicole grew, Emily taught her, at an early age, to sew on the machine, cook, iron and use the typewriter. Nicole spent a lot of quality time with her grandmother during the following 15 years. Emily loved to cook, craft, sew, crochet, knit and read, and the Lord blessed her with the gift of nurturing. Her love of family and friends was monumental. She took care of all around her. In 1992, Emily too was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. She never let it get her down. She pushed herself to lead the life she wanted, which included the church, friends and family. In 1997, Emily moved into the Good Shepherd Care Center in Peoria, Ariz. She now needed an assisted living environment. Emily became a special friend to many there. The activities became her special joy. She now added bingo to her loves! Until three months ago, Emily was able to come to Wickenburg for weekends where Beth and her family lived. Beth couldn't stay away from the town she loved, and had moved back with her family in 1997. During the last six months, Emily was blessed to have Nicole Ray in her life. Nicole worked for Good Shepherd and adopted Emily. Together, they too spent many wonderful hours together. Nicole loved Emily and thought of her as her grandmother. Emily's Parkinson's progressed very rapidly during the month of June, and our merciful Lord ended her pain on June 30. She was 85. Emily is survived by her daughter Beth McManamy Gallant, Beth's husband Vic, and their daughter Nicole; her son Rex McManamy and his daughter Leigh; her stepson Russell McManamy, his wife Barbara, and their five children Debbie, Patti, Joyce, Russ and Christina, and nephews Norman Bunas, Gary Bunas, Stan Bunas and their families. A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Wickenburg, 180 N. Adams St. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Good Shepherd Care Center, Activities Department, 10323 W. Olive Ave., Peoria, AZ 85345. |
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