
Jane Turnham Manning
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Jane Turnham Manning, beloved wife and mother, died peacefully at her home in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by her family, on August 2, 2024, after a seven-year battle with ovarian cancer.
Jane Elizabeth Turnham was born on April 20, 1963, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Sara Huberta Sain and Dr. John Cornelius Turnham, Jr., and was raised in Alice. Jane spent her childhood summers in Key Allegro and with her beloved "Pop" and "Grandma" Turnham at the family's ranch along the banks of the Frio River near Pearsall. Jane was particularly proud of her South Texas roots, and she was the first Alice girl in a generation to be asked to participate in Corpus Christi's Buccaneer Days celebration as a duchess and a debutante. She was a direct descendant of rancher William Adams of the famous "Adams Brothers," who were of the first pioneer families of Alice and the surrounding region, and a great-great-great-granddaughter of Sarah Randolph Bradley Dodson, who moved to Texas along with her family as part of Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" in 1822 and designed the first lone-star Texas flag in September 1835.
Jane attended the Alice public schools, graduating from Alice High School in 1981. She then attended Texas Tech University, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Jane later transferred to Southwest Texas State University, where on that fateful first day of her accounting class, she met the love of her life, Rusty Manning. The family lore goes on with Rusty approaching Jane after class asking her if she wanted to do homework together and, with her signature quick wit, she responded, "Do we even have homework yet?" In the end, it seems they did (or she thought he was cute, and pretended they did), and over two bottles of Coca-Cola, the rest was history. After graduating, Jane and Rusty married on May 20, 1989, and settled in San Antonio. They both embarked on successful careers, raised their children, and enjoyed a marriage filled with love, laughter, and travels all over. Jane was an immensely proud mother and shared an uncommonly close bond with both of her boys. She called them the "jewels in her crown," and encouraged them to aim high, to charge at every opportunity that life brings, and to remain kind and unabashedly authentic to themselves.
A fantastic friend, loving wife, devoted mother, sister, and daughter, striking beauty, gifted real estate agent, and devout Christian?Jane was fabulous. Her happiest times were spent surrounded by friends and family in Rockport, Port Aransas, at the ranch in Ozona, and at her home in San Antonio which she filled with beautiful things and lots of love. Jane was truly a modern Renaissance lady who loved everything from rock and roll concerts (particularly, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Styx, Rush, and ZZ Top) and belting the entire soundtrack to "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "I Saw the Sign" by Ace of Base in the car with the volume on full blast, to family traditions, throwing big parties, arranging flowers, fashion, good wine, traveling, interior design, gardening, staying active, the theater, and reading books. She had a mischievous sense of humor that bent everyone double in fits of belly laughs.
Jane led with an immensely open heart and had a zest for life that was palpable to all in her orbit. She was a true humanitarian and zealous advocate for the underdog. Love and inclusion were the core tenets of her faith and she impressed upon her family the importance of welcoming and nurturing one's fellow man. After her 2017 diagnosis, Jane's determination only grew, and she continued to live life with even greater purpose. During that time, Jane found her church home at Laurel Heights UMC and deepened her involvement in grassroots charitable efforts for organizations like Dress for Success and Haven for Hope. Jane was a dedicated member and supporter of Laurel Heights and served on the administrative council, as chair of the welcoming committee, assisted with vacation bible school, and cared for the little ones at the day school. Still, her most cherished duty was greeting and welcoming the congregation as they walked through the church doors every Sunday morning.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents; beloved grandparents, the Honorable Sheriff Hubert Talmadge Sain and Sara Aileen Adams Sain; John C. Turnham, Sr., and Ben Crews Turnham; stepfather, W. Monte Boyd; great-aunt, Lois Mae Adams; niece, Amanda Tregre; and sisters-in-law, Terri Taft Turnham and Leslie Jarnigan Manning. She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Russell Keith ("Rusty") Manning; sons, John Russell Manning of San Antonio and Mark Joseph Manning (Cameron Davis) of League City; siblings, John Hubert Turnham of New Braunfels and Mary Barbara Turnham Rodriguez (Ruben) of Brownsville; cousin, Kaye Wilke Muennink of San Antonio; parents-in-law, Helen and Norman Manning of Yoakum; siblings-in-law, Randy Manning (Donna Faircloth) of Dallas and New York, Sandy Manning Rizzato (Mark) of Nederland, and Tracey Manning Gearson (Chris) of Yoakum; nieces and nephews, Jennifer Reynolds (Darrik), Natalie Manning (David Bednall), Sarah Newman (Michael), Sara Mercedes Rodriguez, Reed Gearson (Kristin), Benjamin Sabas Rodriguez, and Ryan Gearson (Erika Stewart); lifelong and unwavering friend, Lisa Cornelius Sramek; and her beagle, Lucy. Jane is also survived by her extended family of uncles, aunts, cousins, and a wide circle of friends that she loved dearly.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., at Laurel Heights United Methodist Church, 227 W. Woodlawn, San Antonio, Texas 78212. A private committal service will take place at the Laurel Heights columbarium immediately after the funeral service. The family invites guests to a reception following the services at a location to be announced at the church.
The family would like to especially thank Jane's devoted caregivers, Karen Evans and Genevieve Marquez. The family is also deeply grateful to her team of doctors, Dr. Jennifer Burzawa, Dr. Claudius Conrad, Dr. David M. Boruta, Dr. Behrouz Zand, Dr. Shannon N. Westin, Dr. Luis Silva, and the countless nurses and staff members at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Those so led may make charitable contributions in Jane's memory to Laurel Heights United Methodist Church, 227 W. Woodlawn, San Antonio, Texas 78212; the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, P.O. Box 32141, New York, New York 10087-2141 (or at ocrahope.org); M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, Texas, 77210-4486 (or at MDAnderson.org/gifts); or an organization of their choosing.
You are invited to sign the Guestbook at www.porterloring.com
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