Obituary published on Legacy.com by Monarch Memorial on Oct. 1, 2025.
On July 5, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, Sylvia Knox-Harrison and Gerald Mannings welcomed their daughter, Edna Beatrice Mannings affectionately known as Mae and Pokey. From the very beginning, Edna's life reflected her devotion to God's grace, with a spirit that shined wherever she went.
She attended Potomac Elementary School and later continued her education at Lincoln Junior High and East High School. After completing her studies at Job Corps, she went on to become a Certified Nurse Assistant. As a CNA, Edna found true joy in working with the elderly, who always held a very special place in her heart. She gave her time, her patience, and her kindness without hesitation.
Edna also loved music and later became a member of the Bakersfield Singers Association, where her voice and presence brought joy to those around her.
Although she had many loves in life, her greatest love was Jesus. Above all else, Edna loved the Lord. Her faith was her foundation, guiding her through life's joys and challenges. She carried a quiet strength that came from her relationship with God and leaned on Him in every season. Her love for the Lord showed in the way she cared for others, the compassion she gave so freely, and the unwavering devotion she had to her family.
Edna was also a woman of many Bibles-so much so that over the years she collected nearly twenty of them. Whenever one was misplaced, she would simply go out and get another, knowing she could never go without God's word by her side. Her children knew her prayers covered them daily, and her faith remains a light that will continue to shine through them.
Edna's greatest pride and joy was her family. She leaves behind her beloved children: Allisha Patrice Williams of Lancaster, CA; Johnetta I Milner and husband Malcolm Walker of Dallas, TX; Willie L. Milner of
Bakersfield, CA; and Gerald Barker of Modesto, CA. She also leaves behind two grandchildren who filled her heart with joy, Michael Williams and Naomi Barker; and her two brothers Paul Mannings And John Harrison and his wife Jennifer Harrison and her auntie Mary whom she loved like a sister.
She is preceded in death by her loving parents, Sylvia Harrison and Gerald Mannings, as well as her dear siblings who went before her: sisters Claudia "Woody" Cross, Carol Mannings Frutos, and Sylvia Annette Mannings, and brothers Glen and Michael Mannings and her favorite niece and nephew Mechelle Ray and Jesse Frutos. Though they are no longer here in the flesh, we find comfort in knowing they are reunited once again in eternal peace.
Edna also leaves behind a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives who were a moving force in her life.
To know Edna was to know love. She lived with compassion, gave without expecting anything in return, and shared her joy through both her caring hands and her uplifting spirit. Her memory will forever live on in the hearts of her family, her friends, and all whose lives she touched.
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