Raymond "Ray" Allen Manning was born on May 8, 1938, in Suffolk, VA to Allen and Lucy Manning and entered into eternal rest on April 8, 2026.

Insatiably curious from the beginning, Ray was fascinated by the world around him. His scientific mind was fueled by experimentation, endless questioning, and voracious reading throughout his life. At age 3, enamoured with Superman, he clothespinned a towel around his shoulders and was about to leap off the roof in order to test the limits of aerodynamics. Fortunately, his grandmother intervened before any injury occurred. His love of knowledge led him to excel in school and in 1961, he was the first in his family to receive a college degree, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics from Auburn University.

The pivotal moment of Ray’s life was a blind date on November 5, 1961 on which he met the love of his life, Linda Ellarine Damon. Six months later to the day, the two were married at Dorchester Waylon Baptist Church on May 5, 1962. They shared many happy years together, building a beautiful life full of love, companionship, and, most importantly, family. Linda always says Ray made her feel cherished and loved each day of those 64 years of marriage. Ray and Linda welcomed two daughters, Claire and Laura, into their family while also caring faithfully for their extended family which included his grandmother, his great aunt, and his mother.

Ray dedicated much of his life to his important work as a nuclear engineer, where he was responsible for overhauling Naval US submarines at the Charleston Naval Base. His career was marked by hard work and a strong commitment to ensuring the safety and efficiency of the submarines that serve our country. Upon retiring from the Charleston Naval Base in 1994, Ray did not immediately embrace the retired lifestyle, but, instead, took a job at First Baptist Church School, teaching high school Physics and Chemistry.

Ray loved to share his love for both knowledge and adventure with his family, enthusiastically sharing his ideas with his family and friends, and, long before cell phones were invented, he would track his wife and daughters down by having them paged wherever they might be to share his ideas! These phone calls (and FaceTIme) quickly extended to his grandchildren as his family grew. Ray was all in when it came to having fun with his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. Even what he thought might have been his last words, they concerned his family and electronics. In early 2003, when he was first diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation in the emergency room and was about to be taken back to be defibrillated, he said, “Linda, I have a confession to make, in case I don’t make it!”, to which Linda replied, “Ray, it’s ok. You are going to be ok.” Ray then said, “But I have to tell you. I bought a Wii game console. It’s for the grandchildren and it’s in the trunk. Please tell everyone how much I love them!”

Traveling the world was a shared pastime for both Ray and Linda. Their globetrotting took them to 6 of the 7 continents by plane, train, automobile, and boats of varying descriptions. Their 64 year marriage could easily be shown in a progression of photos of Linda in front of various landmarks from their many adventures looking picture perfect.

Ray was an active member of Providence Church on Daniel Island for many years. He brought his thirst for knowledge and his passionate curiosity to each and every Sunday School class. Oftentimes Ray would show up for church at Sullivan's Island Baptist (where they also were members for years), with his pants still rolled up and his hair a mess because he had been on a beachwalk while the rest of the family were at Sunday School. Ray would sometimes miss church completely because he had been windsurfing and told his family that it “brought him closer to God because it enabled him to identify better with Jesus because windsurfing was like walking on water!”

Ray is survived by his wife Linda Manning and their two children: Claire Lyons and her husband Gerry, who live in Chapin, South Carolina, and Laura Turner and her husband Les, who live in Mt. Pleasant. Ray was a proud grandfather to nine grandchildren: Katherine Young and her husband Jason, Elisabeth Becker and her husband Robert, Teresa Lyons and her wife Jess, Mary Lyons, John Paul Lyons and his wife Julia, Ann Lyons, Zachary Lyons, Eliza Godbold and her husband Cooper, Lindy Turner and her fiancé, Cole Dyer. Ray’s family has also grown with the addition of eight great-grandchildren, who brought him much joy.

His funeral service will be held Saturday, May 23 at Providence Church, 294 Seven Farms Dr., Daniel Island, SC 29492 at 1 pm followed by a reception. Internment will follow in Magnolia Cemetery.

The family would like to especially thank each and every caregiver at Franke at Seaside Lutheran Home, including all the people involved in keeping his room clean, and Ray fed. We would especially like to recognize Tan McMillan who oversees all of the nursing care at Franke, as well as the Lutheran Hospice Services and the thoughtful additional care Ray received from McLeod Home Care. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Homes https://www.lutheranhomesscfoundation.org/

Arrangements are by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.