HAPPY VILLAGE, Oregon — Virginia "Jinny" Roy Manning, passed away peacefully, 13 April 2026, surrounded by her three children in Happy Valley, Oregon where she had been living for the past three years.

Born 24 February 1945 in Danbury, Connecticut, Jinny was the second youngest of six siblings, which engendered a lifelong empathy for the plight of younger siblings. Throughout her life she fondly remembered the many hijinks she got up to with her older brothers and sisters in rural Connecticut.

Jinny left Connecticut to attend Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York following in the footsteps of her older sister, Betsy, where she studied Political Science and Education. This was a time of great political engagement and discovery.

While at Marymount, Jinny met her future husband, Christopher F. Manning at a mixer with Fordham University. They married in 1968 in Redding, Connecticut and immediately commenced what she always referred to as their “great adventure,” a cross-country road trip that ended with them relocating to San Francisco for Chris to undertake his medical residency.

As a young married couple they moved frequently as Chris completed his medical training. Jinny was always proud of her ability to secure a teaching job in each of the cities they found themselves, ultimately teaching in four different states.

In 1972, only weeks after their first child, Maura, was born in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, Chris was drafted and the family relocated to San Antonio, TX to attend his basic training. It was a time of great uncertainty that ultimately resulted in a move back to San Francisco where Chris completed his specialty training.

They were on the move again at the end of 1974 to Rockland, Maine where they made their home for the next nearly 50 years. In 1975, her son Christopher Patrick was born followed by Eleanor in 1984. Jinny loved Maine and the idyllic setting it provided for her children as they grew up exploring beaches, lakes and forests, as well as discovering the many wonders of Penobscot Bay and the Fox Island Thoroughfare on the family sailboat.

Jinny was always an active and informed citizen of Rockland, serving for many years on the SAD 5 school board. This was a role she took very seriously advocating fiercely for teachers and quality learning throughout her time on the Board. In her later years, she worked at the Farnsworth Art Museum, which she loved.

Jinny’s greatest joy and pride were her six beloved grandchildren. Even in her late seventies, she was never averse to jumping on the back of a plastic sled and racing down the hillside of her Talbot Avenue home with grandchildren hugged firmly in her arms squealing with laughter.

While haunted by Alzheimer’s in her final years, Jinny was still able to enjoy opportunities to stay with her children and grandchildren after her husband died. She delighted in watching her grandchildren flourish in their diverse pursuits – soccer, cricket, performing arts or academics –  she was immensely proud of each of them and she was able to spend her final years in Portland, Oregon near her youngest grandchildren.

Jinny was a person of enormous spirit, patience and generosity. She always loved a good laugh, the sun on her face and a dog to pat. She set her children and grandchildren up to be people of integrity who live full and adventurous lives. She will be dearly missed and forever fondly remembered by all who knew her.

Jinny is predeceased by her husband, Christopher Francis; her father, Gideon; her mother, Elizabeth; her brothers, Roger and Charlie, and her sister Sandi.

She is survived by her daughters, Maura in Sydney, Australia and Eleanor in Portland, Oregon; her son, Christopher Patrick in North Easton, Massachusetts; her sons-in-law Greg and Andrew; her daughter-in-law Stephanie; her three granddaughters, Beatrice, Molly and Edit; her three grandsons, Patrick, James and Ernest; her sisters Elizabeth Roy Milano of Portland, Oregon and Therese Roy of Charlotte, North Carolina.

A funeral service for both Jinny and Chris will take place Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 11 a.m., in the St Bernard’s parish in Rockland, with a reception to follow at their home.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Rockland District Nursing.