Margaret Manning-Ferrell

Margaret Elaine Manning (originally Phyllis Elizabeth Manning) was born August 6, 1922, and 2 years later her sister, Phyllis Kirkman Manning was born in Dallas, TX to Phillip Kirkman Manning, 51, (born in 1870) and Elsie Jenelia Garrett, 19 (born in 1902,) (Elsie's mother was in the burning of Atlanta, and her family was related to the Penn and to JP Morgan families.) Phillip had long been a coach builder, bicycle builder, a tire manufacturer, and later transitioned to an automobile builder & repair company, as the industrial revolution marched on. Around the time Elaine's sister was born, the KKK attempted to kidnap my mother, Elaine, because her father refused to stop hiring African Americans. Soon, the KKK pressure was too great, and they moved to Philadelphia around 1925, to start over. They bought a home in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Soon, the great depression came and even so, they moved to the wealthy neighborhood of Bryn Mawr, as Elsie became an executive at Strawbridge & Clothiers, running 54 production rooms for them. Phillip was soon to retire. Elaine played piano, learned English saddle riding, went to Catholic Church with her mostly Catholic friends and loved to dance. She saw Frank Sinatra and many other big stars in little clubs in and around Philadelphia. By the time she was 20, all the young men she knew went to war, WWII. Many never came back. Mom received her junior college degree from Ivy League, Harcum College for Women. WWII ended.

Her father, Phillip, became very ill and unfortunately her parents divorced. Her mother, Elsie Mannin then relocated to Fort Lauderdale, FL with Elaine and Phyllis. Mom and her mother met Lt.Commander Charlie Ferrell in 1946, a carrier pilot, and Navy officer in the Las Olas area, and wed May 30th,1946.

Dad, Charlie, born in 1918, was originally from Independence, Kansas, on Rural Route 3, where he grew up on a 260 acre wheat and corn farm. He and his twin brother, Bill, joined the war in 1942, after Pearl Harbor, after having gained their Junior College degree and private pilot's licenses to ensure they enlisted as Aviators. Dad joined the Navy and Bill, the Army Air Corps (Air Force). In 1946, Elaine and Charlie were married. They had 4 children, Stephanie (1948, Phoenix), Dana (1952, Bethesda), Wayne (1957, Minneapolis) and Ann (1959, Fort Lauderdale). So, Mom, a military wife and mom, (as Dad went to war in Korea,) was on her own to raise children. Dad retired in 1970, as a Navy Captain, USNR.

Mom and Dad had junior college degrees, which were not very common at their time. They always said that we children had no choice but to go to college, and we all did. Anything less was unacceptable. Mom loved architecture and often spoke of it to dad, all of her friends and children. Mom used to drive us around different neighborhoods telling us what was good architecture and bad architecture. So, of course 2 of her children became architects, Stephanie & Wayne. Son, Wayne decided to become an architect at 14. Mom and Dad both worked two jobs to pay for their children's colleges. Most of mom's work was in banking.

Wayne has worked on approximately 25 churches, including New Presbyterian Church, which are the direct result of Mom's love for her children, her love of architecture and Wayne's love of God. When mom was semi-retired at 75 years old, she began working for Wayne's firm as office manager. She also continued to work at Cuise1. Soon after, Wayne began praying with friends for God to allow him to work on churches. With no advertising whatsoever, 3 Churches in 3 days called Mom, while IWayne was out of town. No church had ever called before this day. This was clearly an answered prayer. He called them immediately, and got all 3 jobs. 20 years later he is working on a small Church in Pompano. All these years, mom worked, until 3 years ago, helping Wayne. Even more, during the recession when times were difficult, mom helped us. Wayne Ferrell, Elaine's son married Karina in 2002.

After a 3-year struggle with Multiple Myeloma, Mom died unexpectedly of a bacterial infection, September 5, 2017. She had almost died about 3 years ago, but Karina, her mom, and I prayed on our knees, around her bed for hours, and God answered our prayers. Mom said that she knew for a fact that God had extended her life, because she felt death coming and she was sure her life was over that night. She still wasn't sure who or what God was. Within about 6 months, after many years of evangelizing mom, and mom protesting, I presented the good news and the bad news of the gospel to her once more, and repeated Jesus' words, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me." I also explained that I wanted to see her in heaven. She wept and accepted Christ. She said she had heard this Gospel message many times when she was young, but it was only this time that she put it all together. She was now a member of God's forever family! We celebrated Mom's 95th Birthday with a party in Jacksonville, in August, and she went home to be with the Lord, peacefully, on September 5, 2017. Wayne, Karina, Paul, Veronika, her 3 daughters, family and friends will miss her terribly. Many here in Kansas remember Charlie and Elaine Ferrell. Ferrell family that preceeded Elaine Ferrell, wife of Chales Wayne Ferrell, in death, are Bill Ferrell, Mac Ferrell, Elizabeth Ferrell-Freeman, Hellen Ferrell-Mantooth, Charles Wayne Ferrell, Sr. Paul Ferrell, Thornton Ferrell, Henry Ferrell, Robert Ferrell, their father and mothers, William Harrison Ferrell, Fanny Bates-Ferrell, Oma Bays-Ferrell. See www.ferrellclan.com for additional photos and family history.