Mary Womble "Bunky" Manley

1956 - 2021

Mary "Bunky" Elizabeth Womble Manley, 64, passed away suddenly on Monday, January 18, 2021 at her home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Bunky was born August 26, 1956 in Norfolk, Virginia and lived in the area her entire life. She is the daughter of Rosalie T. Womble and the late Worth M. Womble Jr.

Bunky graduated from Kempsville High School in 1974. She attended Elon College where she was the loudest member of the cheerleading team. She was also a proud and loyal sister in the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and served as chapter president. She loved her sorority and sisters A LOT. She could lead their songs like no other…"Give me Zeta one time." She graduated with a degree in Education.

Bunky's love for Zeta continued after graduation. She served as a Zeta Traveling Leadership consultant and then moved on to national service as Standards and Enrichment Committee chair. She led the effort to establish a Zeta chapter at Old Dominion University in 1987. She received her Honor Ring and was elected to National Council in 1992.

After her service to Zeta, she worked for the family Real Estate company, Womble Realty. She headed up the relocation department as well as training and recruitment. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm contributed to the company receiving national recognition for RELO.

Bunky was born to be a teacher and in the late ‘90's she did just that. Linkhorn Park Elementary was lucky to land this outstanding 3rd grade educator, and she would remain on faculty until her passing. She was Teacher of the Year, SCA teacher representative and grade level chair. She was that teacher that greeted her students every day with a big smile and a warm hug. She loved them like her own. To foster love for math and science in her young students, Bunky spearheaded the development of the Math and Science Academy and ran a Summer Camp, Camp Invention. She attended her students' birthday parties, sporting events, and high school and college graduations. Many of her students and their parents have reached out on her Facebook page, which has brought comfort to her family and friends.

Bunky served on the board of directors for the Zims Foundation, which is dedicated to funding research, treatment, and ultimately a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. She committed many hours to this cause and was instrumental in helping to raise over 3 million dollars.

First and foremost, Bunky was an incredibly loving mother, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend. She is survived by her mother Rosalie; her sons Worth Tanner Manley and Alexander Monroe Manley; brother and wingman Bill Womble; and sister and BESTEST friend Barbara Womble Kahle and husband Douglas.

She is also the world famous "Baba" to niece Ryann Womble; nephews Sam, Spenser and Sage Kahle and William Womble; and grandnephew Grayson Kahle. She is loved by many cousins.

She loved to dance, dance, dance! She loved her friends and their families. She would drop everything to be there for those that needed her. She loved the Washington Nationals baseball team and all sports, and she loved her Linkhorn Park family.

Bunky was our backbone, our cheerleader…our everything! There are no words to describe the depth of our loss. Life will not be the same without her. We will postpone a Celebration of Life until a later date due to Covid concerns and restrictions. A website is being developed for all to share Bunky stories: www.bunkystouch.com. We ask that you honor her with a random act of kindness to another or a donation to ZimsFoundation.org. She would like that!