Barbara Anne Manning

1938 - 2026

Barbara Anne Manning
Born: March 31, 1938 in Chicago, IL
Died: February 10, 2026 in Yorkville, IL
Barbara Anne Manning, born 5/31/38 in Chicago, passed peacefully 2/10/26 in Yorkville, IL
Let's celebrate Barb's life as a confirmation of her spirit and an affirmation for us all.
She entered the warm embrace of the extended Hart family of Keytesville, Missouri (who have since passed) including father Thomas, uncles Donovan and Jim, grandfather Pettis, grandmother Dora, and the extended Tilson family of St. Joseph, Missouri (who have since passed) including mother Betty, aunts Gladys and Helen, grandfather Jim, grandmother Rosa. Annual visits to her family's farms and towns gave her treasured memories and close encounters with the rural life including horses, cows, chickens, dogs, cats, and fish!
She spent her formative years on the south side of Chicago attending grade school in Avalon Park and Hirsch High School. A voracious reader, she earned high marks in school, jumped ahead a level, bonded with mentors, won essay contests, and was awarded speech opportunities to Chicago City Council and Illinois General Assembly. Her fondest events were trips to movie palaces, explorations downtown, and camping along Lake Michigan, with many friends including Joy Ann and Rose among others.
A path to college and career was considered but her desire was for family life. Early marriage to Joseph Gors. She was blessed with three children: Thomas (with Laura Bobowski) now in Woodstock, Marianne (with Mike House) now in Peoria, and Jonathan. She cherished and nurtured their lives, their excellence in school, and the forming of their own loving relationships. Her hardships were her mother's illnesses, an absent husband, no income for a time, unsafe neighborhood, and death of son Jonathan. She rose to the challenge by moving her family to safety with the ever-reliant help of her father and then trained for her first full-time job at age 35. She continued to blossom for the rest of her 87 years.
Starting in 1975, she worked diligently as permit clerk then secretary in the Building Division of DCD at the City of Naperville for 18 years and making many friends including Ella, Marcia, Walter, Don and Len among others. She married her soulmate Steve Manning in 1981, who basked in the beauty and meaning she brought to their 45 years of marriage. She felt fortunate to have owned and remodeled three houses in Plainfield, Rockton, and Yorkville with husband Steve and developed her own eclectic and warm style of décor with antiques, dolls, bears, and other whimsical figures. She amazed us with her passion and self-taught skill for quilting, amassing a full workshop, and creating many fine art wall hangings. In her second career, she worked as clerk for Yorkville Public Library for 23 years, spreading the joy of reading to others and making many friends including Mic, Dixie, Bev, Virginia, Kathy, and Cheryl among others. She treasured visiting family and friends including grandson Jon House now in Chicago and traveling to many destinations and discoveries throughout the Midwest.
Giving, caring, sharing, supportive, creative, compassionate – there are not words enough to describe the love Barb gave to all which was her essence and legacy to the world.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, February 20, 2026 at the Nelson Funeral Home, 1617 North Bridge Street, Yorkville, Il. Interment will follow in the Naperville Cemetery, Naperville, IL.
Friends may visit from 4:00 until 8:00 PM on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at the Funeral Home in Yorkville, IL. Arrangements by Nelson Funeral Homes & Crematory, www.NelsonFuneralHomes.com or (630) 553-7611.