Joe Manning, a veteran of World War II, entrepreneur, former state representative and avid town volunteer in Jaffrey, died at the age of 97 March 28.

“He was many things,” said his friend Marc Tieger. “He was an entrepreneur, a devoted citizen and a terrific, terrific person, who will be missed by the community. If you didn’t like Joe, there was something wrong with you.”

Manning, originally from Massachusetts, left home at 18, as soon as he was eligible, to enlist in the Navy and join the fighting during World War II. During his service, he joined the Navy’s Construction Battalion, also known as the Seabees, and mainly worked as a mechanic during the war.

After returning home, Manning used the benefits of the G.I. Bill to enroll in college and get a degree in engineering. He moved to Jaffrey in the 1960s, along with fellow World War II veteran Bill Coleman, and the two partnered in creating the technology for and running a fiber glass business, initially under the manufacturer D.D. Bean. Later, he would go on to run a bed-and-breakfast, and he served in the state House of Representatives from 1992 to 2004.

Joe and his first wife Marie had six children: Joanne, Kathy, Jim, Regina, Mary and Brigid. Following Marie’s passing, he married his current wife, Marcie, when he was 85, and became a stepfather to Marcie’s children John, Beth, Joanne, Carol and their families.

Manning lived in Rindge, along the shores of Lake Contoocook, at the time of his death, but spent the majority of his adult life in Jaffrey, where he had deep ties.

Manning’s longtime friend, Bernie Hampsey, recalled an oft-told story about the presentation Manning and Coleman had given to Jack Bean, to convince him to invest in the new venture – fiber glass being a relatively new concept at the time. Before the presentation had finished – as Manning told it, before he’d even gotten to his half of the pitch – Bean had pounded on the table and declared, “Goddamn it, let’s do it!”

In Jaffrey, Manning was involved with multiple volunteer organizations, including as a charter member of the chamber of commerce, TEAM Jaffrey, the local Rotary, the Jaffrey Festival of Fireworks, St. Patrick’s School and as a firefighter. His friend Henry Hammond said Manning was a “joiner,” who gave back to his community. Hammond said Manning convinced him to volunteer for Quest, a Rotary Club program that created a camp for middle-school children.

“He was so enthusiastic,” Hammond said.

Kathy Manning said her father loved to instill a sense of adventure and spark curiosity for children. She said a friend recently recalled to her that decades ago, to prepare for an upcoming eclipse, her father set up a wooden board and painted it white, to allow children to use pinhole projectors to watch the eclipse, and bought eclipse glasses for the children.

“That was reminiscent of my father,” Kathy said. “He loved nature and was fun-loving, and wanted to extend that spirit to anyone. He was always trying to instill in us a sense of science and nature and wonder.”

Cathy Furze, who chaired the Jaffrey Festival of Fireworks for many years, said Manning was an avid volunteer, usually as a greeter and traffic director in the parking area.

“He was always there to volunteer for us. He was always smiling, always very present in what was going on. He wasn’t afraid to walk up and give you a compliment for what you were doing. He was always a smiling face, no matter where you met him,” Furze said.

Furze recalled one time, she hopped in a car with Manning, along with his longtime friends Bill Driscoll and Hampsey – who called themselves “The Three Amigos” – to show them to the VIP lot at the fireworks.

“It was the most hair-raising ride I ever took through the airport parking lot,” Furze said. “But they were laughing and joking and having a great time. Everything he did, he did it with joy.”

Manning continued to stay busy in his retirement, including regular lunches with the “amigos,” and after the passing of Driscoll, with a new lunch group that met on Tuesdays in Peterborough, known affectionately as the “Old Farts.”

Hampsey, also a member of the new lunch group, said he and Manning would often go out and visit the town, in a tradition he would call “Mondays with Joey,” a spin on the novel “Tuesdays with Morrie.”

“I would drive – poorly, hitting every pothole we could,” Hampsey said. “And he would criticize my driving, which was atrocious, but consistent.”

Manning died shortly after a fall while working in his yard, collecting pine cones. His friend, Philip Cournoyer, said that keeping active was something Manning liked to do, even at 97 years old.

“He was always puttering around,” Cournoyer said. “I was amazed that every time I saw him, every Memorial Day parade, he was marching – he didn’t ride, he marched. He always had a story to tell. He was just so likable. He was gentle and funny, and he just enjoyed people.”

The celebration of Manning’s life will be held on Saturday, April 6, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick's Parish in Jaffrey, followed by a reception at Woodbound Inn. In lieu of flowers, people may send contributions to the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (nami.org).

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.