Thomas Wesley Manning

Thomas Wesley Manning 1957 ~ 2011 Thomas Wesley Manning rushed into the world the evening of Nov. 3, 1957 in Alameda, California to greet his mom and dad, Janice and Samuel Manning and a sister, Ruthie. Three years later Tom was excited with the arrival of his younger brother William, (Billy). The family spent Tom's early years in Alameda and Pleasant Hill, California. In the first grade Tom and his family moved to Dallas, Texas. Five months later, Tom's family was in a car accident that took the life of his father and younger brother, Billy. Late summer 1964, Tom, his sister, and mother moved to Nampa, Idaho where he graduated from High School in 1975. Tom attended Boise State College for two years and received his associate degree in Surveying and Drafting. Tom worked for companies that were surveying for oil in many parts of the world. Tom saw life as a challenge and to experience as much of the world as he could. He was an outdoor enthusiast who worked and explored in Libya and Chad, Zambia, Cape Town, S.A., The Congo, New Guinea, and Haiti, Australia, The North Sea, England, Scotland, Australia, Alaska, Territories of Canada, Antarctica, and Newfoundland. He visited many other countries while working abroad. Tired of the living from a suitcase, Tom returned to college in Denver, CO. He and his friends made time to hike, bike, and climb. Winter found Tom skiiing and snow shoeing at every opportunity. During those busy years, Tom met and then married Clara Muino August 10, 1991. They loved camping and outdoor sports together. They were often accompanied by their beloved dogs. They both graduated December, 1993 from University of Colorado; Tom with a degree in electrical Engineering. Together they enjoyed the Southwest and Colorado. The Cancun area in Mexico was their favorite place to warm up in January. Tom was an avid mountain climber and did many of the tough fourteeners. Rock climbing tested his skills and courage as he and a friend scaled many rocky peaks including a climb to the top of Eldorado in Colorado, and Devil's Tower in Wyoming; he always in pursuit of excellence with respect and appreciation for the environment. Tom worked for Air Sciences of Lakewood, CO, where he designed, tested and installed air quality monitoring systems and he designed communication systems for remote data collection. In August, 2000, Tom went to work for Gaming Laboratories of Golden, Colorado where he designed testing procedures of gaming devices. He tested the software for compliance with house reporting systems. Tom fought many brave battles with his health before he made his home in Boise. Here he lived with his mother the past five years When he was able, he enjoyed hiking and biking the Boise hills; he challenged life to his fullest, always testing his stamina. He often was escorted by his two faithful dogs. Tom died peacefully Wednesday morning, April 13, 2011 at home with his mother and sister near by. Tom is survived by his mother, Jan Manning of Boise and his sister, Ruth (Robert) Gay of Alameda, California; two nephews, Tom and Joe Gay; one niece, Addie Gay; and an extended family. He also leaves his beloved dogs, Lucy and Demon. He will be greatly missed! In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to an animal shelter of your choice. Tom's funeral will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, April,16th at Summers Funeral Home, 1205 W. Bannock Street, Boise. He will be laid to rest at Kohlerlawn Cemetery, 76 6th Street North, Nampa, ID next to his father, brother and grandma with a brief graveside service.