Nancy Shannah (Cunningham) Mann

Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Aunt and Friend

RUTLAND - Nancy Shannah (Cunningham) Mann, 90, of Rutland, MA, completed her life’s journey and passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family, on Friday, October 31, 2025. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, Nancy filled our lives with warmth and love.

Born on November 11, 1934, in Leominster, MA, Nancy was the daughter of Alan Percy Cunningham Sr. and Beatrice (Smallidge) Cunningham. At age nine, she moved with her family to Leicester, MA, where she graduated from Leicester High School in 1952. Throughout her life, Nancy treasured the lifelong friendships she made with her classmates and her time as a majorette in the Leicester Drum Corps. After earning her degree from Worcester State Teachers College, she began her career as a second-grade teacher in Leicester and then Rutland. Nancy’s passion for learning and teaching remained at the heart of everything she did throughout her life.

Nancy married the love of her life, Howard Mann, in 1959, and together they built a full life in Rutland, MA. They raised three children and shared with them their deep appreciation for hard work, kindness, and gratitude. From the mid-1960s through 1989, Nancy and Howard owned and operated Mann’s Inc., a recreational vehicle sales and service business. At the same time, they managed their family farm, Alta Vista.

In the late 1960s, they brought home two bison calves from Out West, marking the beginning of a new chapter as they transitioned from raising beef cattle to raising bison. By the early 1990s, they opened a gift shop on the farm, offering “heart healthy” bison meat and Native American crafts. During those years, Nancy developed meaningful friendships with members of the Northeast Woodland Native American Tribes and was deeply honored to share Alta Vista Farm as a gathering place for their circles.

Nancy loved nature. She loved gardening and cared for all living creatures, great and small—with a special fondness for her cats and whatever treasures they happened to bring into the house. She cherished her time at the family’s Maine camps—first at Howe Brook and later on at the Isle of Mann on Moosehead Lake—where she could listen to the loons for hours and take in every breathtaking sunset.

Nancy’s strong personal faith guided every aspect of how she lived. She found beauty in everything around her and was profoundly grateful for the smallest blessings. Nancy was always ready to offer a helping hand or a listening ear to anyone in need. She believed in savoring life’s simple joys and celebrating every connection. Her gentle strength, compassion and unwavering devotion to those she loved will continue to guide, comfort and inspire all who knew her. She would want you to remember that when you have the choice to sit it out or dance, she hopes you dance.

Nancy was predeceased by her husband, Howard H. Mann (2017), her much loved son Steven H. Mann (2016), and her only sibling Alan P. Cunningham Jr. (1971). She is survived by her daughters, Sally Mann and partner Christopher Barbiasz of Temple, NH, and Susan Mann and husband Paul Frehner of Hancock, NH; grandchildren Finn Mann, Karl Mann, and Aria Frehner; several loving step-grandchildren; as well as cherished nieces, nephews, and a wide circle of friends.

A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, November 11th at the First Congregational Church of Rutland, 258 Main Street. Interment will follow at Rural Cemetery 148 Main Street, Rutland. The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rutland Fire Department, 240 Main St., Rutland, MA 01543. To share a memory or offer an online condolence please "sign the guest book" on this page.