Preston C. Manning, Jr.

Preston Cocke Manning, Jr. died after a brief illness early on December 24, 2025, at his home at AVIVA Baldwin Park in Staunton, Virginia.

Preston (“Pres”) was born in Columbia, South Carolina on January 4, 1931, to Preston C. Manning and Virginia W. Manning (Williams).

He and brothers Fred and Dick lived with their parents in Columbia and Florence, South Carolina until Preston left for college at Washington and Lee University where he fell in love with the Shenandoah Valley.

He ventured north to Yale Medical School in 1952 where he met a beautiful nursing student from North Carolina named Mary Jane Newland. They married in 1956 and embarked on Preston’s medical training, with his internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and a general surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also spent two years in the U.S. Public Health Service, Indian Health Service, in the late 1950’s and was on the staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Umuahia, Nigeria from 1964-1965.

On return to the U.S., Preston and Mary Jane settled in Staunton where he served on the staff of King’s Daughters Hospital for twenty-nine years and at Augusta Medial Center for three. He also served for several years on the staff at Sage Memorial Hospital in Ganado, Arizona, continuing to serve the Navajo Nation as he neared retirement.

In retirement, Preston continued to explore his lifelong interests and added more. He had more time to read, listen to classical music, study Shakespeare, and devote himself to the Episcopal Church. A lifelong lover of music, he enjoyed performances at the Heifetz Institute and Staunton Music Festival, as well as traveling to New York with Mary Jane for weekends of music. He was an ardent fan of the American Shakespeare Center where he was on the Board of Directors for eight years and the president of the board from 2000 to 2002. He served on the vestry and as senior warden at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. He loved playing golf, where he occasionally won several dollars in his weekly competition. He and Mary Jane traveled extensively in Europe, often on W&L alumni trips, where he connected with old friends and new. He took pleasure and pride in his Staunton community, his South Carolina family, and his children.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jane; his children Meredith, Preston, and Nell Manning; two step granddaughters; six nieces and nephews; and twelve great-nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Shakespeare Center (Attn: Development Dept., 20 S. New Street, Fourth Floor, Staunton, VA 24401).

A memorial service will be held on January 10, 2026, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Staunton.