Emmet Jacob Manion

MADISON - On Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, Emmet Jacob Manion passed away just as he lived, peacefully and with dignity. He died at home with his loving family at his side. He was born Sept. 6, 1915, on a farm just outside of Oregon. His parents were Thomas and Emma (Schaller) Manion. On Oct. 30, 1950, he married Rosemary J. Bavery and they were blessed with four children. After retiring from the AMPI milk-processing plant in Mount Horeb in 1980, he and Rosemary moved to Kerrville, Texas, where they had some of the best years of their lives. With Emmet golfing daily and together picking pecans and peaches, they traveled the beautiful Texas Hills countryside. After 17 years in Kerrville, they returned to Madison to be closer to their children. Emmet was a talented storyteller and a compassionate caregiver to both his mother and his wife in their time of need. He enjoyed the pleasures of a simple life, which included playing cards of all kinds, golfing but never keeping score, grocery shopping for bargains, cooking for himself and his children, marveling at the wonders of nature, and watching the Brewers, Packers and Badgers. He retired from the golf course in 2006. He is survived by his son, David J. (Jan Manser) of Middleton; his daughter, Jane E. (Jay) Tappen of Eau Claire; and his grandson, Ty M. of Manhattan Beach, Calif. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary; his infant son, Jimmy; his son, Tom; his granddaughter, Tonya; his brothers, Harold, Ervin and Ray; and his sister, Esther. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, at ALL SAINTS SENIOR APARTMENTS, 8202 Highview Drive (just off of Watts Road near County Highway M) in Madison at 1 p.m., followed by a light lunch. Chaplain Steve Zwettler will officiate. Emmet's family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Gregg Heatley for his compassionate care and restoration of Emmet's sight that made his last few years so much more enjoyable; Dr. David Sorber and Robin, his nurse, for their kind and quick response to his medical needs in his healthy 90s and his final days; his card-playing friends at All Saints; and his "OK Corral" HospiceCare team, which consisted of his children, nurse Tom, Amy, Trisha, Steve, Jan, Betty, and many others. His hospice team truly made his final days a journey that we will never forget. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HospiceCare, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711. "Pa, we know you're ready, so you go ahead and start walking. You'll get that far anyway. We'll pick you up soon."