Gladys "Gay" Manley

Gladys Agatha (Larson) "Gay" Manley, aged 90, passed away on November 9, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn., at the Ebenezer Care Center.

Services will be Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in New Effington with Rev. Karie Geyer officiating.

The services will be livestreamed on the Faith, First, & Our Savior's Lutheran Parishes Facebook page.

Gladys was born in Chinook, Mont. on August 15, 1934. She and her parents, Melvin and Mary (Liberty) Larson had met while working on a ranch. They moved back to Victor, S.D. to farm when Gladys was a young girl.

Gladys attended Fort Belknap Agency School in Montana and country school in New Effington, S.D. She and her family were members of Walla Lutheran Church in rural New Effington.

She met Ray "Bud" Manley at NDSCS, where she worked. They were married in 1952 and enjoyed more than six decades together.

Gladys dedicated 25 years as the cashier at "The Grainery," a popular restaurant in West Acres Mall, in West Fargo, N.D. and made many friends there. Beyond her professional role, she brought joy to many, making clown costumes and volunteering to visit children in Fargo area hospitals.

Her hobbies were a testament to her creative spirit and deep-rooted cultural heritage: she was prolific in ceramics and painting, enjoyed collecting art glass and antique furniture, and was passionate about studying her Native American heritage as a proud member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana.

She worshiped at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minn., and Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minn., where she was an active community member.

Gladys is survived by her son, Douglas (Lori) Manley, her grandsons Jesse (his children Max and Annie), and Kyle (his son Milo), her sister Jeanne Childress, and local cousins Rod Larsen and Kevin Larsen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray Manley, in 2018, and her daughter, Lynette Hoffman, in 1975, and her sisters Lois Koch, and Annette Johnson.

Her life was marked by her kindness, creativity, and dedication to her family and community.