Katharine E. Manchester

Col. Manchester had a love of gardening, although I don’t recall her doing much of it herself. She did a great job of supervising her helpers. Since we lived next door, she would share her plants with us, again supervising their location, depth and other growing instructions. We plan to take many with us when we move.

We lived next door to the Col. for 30 years. Wonderful gardener and great neighbor. Her father lived with her for many years. Loved to hear her story about her furniture and how it was taken across the co7ntry by her early ancestors.

Colonel Manchester regularly brought her beloved dachshunds for checkups, care and treatment at the animal hospital where I worked in the 1990s in Alexandria, VA. She loved her dogs, enjoyed sharing their adventures with the staff at the animal hospital, and enjoyed talking about the chimney swifts who built a nest on her residential building at The Fairfax. She looked forward every spring to their return. She was a kind, compassionate woman, intellectually sharp, and witty, and carried...

I was a Walter Reed dietetic intern in 1961-62 when Col Manchester was AMSC chief. She influenced my life as a dietitian but more so as a woman. This is the end of an era for our profession.

I worked at Walter Reed under COL Manchester from 1965 thru 1970. She was a great influence on my young life as an Army Dietitian. She was smart, funny, inovative and ahead of her time. I have many fond memories of her. A special one comes to mind. Walking behind her as she inspected the kitchen were the food service dietitians and a group of interns. Some institutional pots were stored in the wrong place. She took a pot and rolled it through the kitchen like a bowling ball and said...

I knew her only as, "Auntie Liz." She, and her father "Mr. M" were our next-door neighbours when I was a child in Alexandria Virginia. Since I had no grandmother, she was the gram ma replacement, and a good friend to my mother. Her love of children and small animals (particularly dogs and birds) endeared her to all, even when she didn't take any misbehaviour from any of us. I'll miss her just as she missed the wrens who made their home in her eaves, a presence that we think will always...

I was most fortunate to have participated in the dietetic Internship program at Walter Reed Colonel Manchester in 1965-1966 under the superb guidance, leadership and direction of Colonel Manchester.
She mentored me throughout my 40 years of experience as a registered dietitian, nutritionist, manager of nutrition services and university instructor.--Lynn Anne Durrenberger, MA, RD, LD.

She was my COL at Walter Reed when I was a dietetic intern in 1967. I was fortunate to receive her holiday letters for decades, and I saved each one. Her letters made me laugh so hard, and inspired so much. Her observations of life around her were keen, witty, curious and compassionate. As interns, we also reaped the benefits of knowing her father. He was 99 years old at the time and worked at a bank. A story I tell to this day is how "Father" foiled the bank robber by rolling down...

COL Manchester was the best Army Dietitian I ever knew. A visionary who instill on us interns the higher values of professionalism, care and service to our profession and the military. She was gentle and firm, serious and with a great sense of humor at the same time. She was a great mentor and friend to me. Thanks COL Manchester for the memories and God will keep you in His glory.