Shirley Anne McManus, Former Katonah Resident

Shirley Anne McManus, a former resident of Katonah, died April 13, 2012 in Westerly, RI, following a brief illness.

Born to David Everett Whelan and Alice Whelan on July 5, 1928 in Providence, RI, Shirley graduated magna cum laude from Classical High School in 1945, and from Manhattanville College in 1949 with a degree in nursing. 

She met her future husband, Dr. James E. McManus of Hollis, Queens while each were employed at the French Hospital in New York City, she as a nurse and he as a surgical resident. They married in 1950 and lived in East Norwich and Douglaston, Queens until 1962 when they moved to Katonah. They lived there for the next 40 years before eventually moving to Kingston, RI in 2005.

Shirley was a long-time member of the Westchester County League of Women Voters, served on the town committee of the Democratic Party in Bedford and parishioner at in Katonah.

An accomplished lawn and paddle tennis player, she helped establish the women's tennis program at Katonah Memorial Park, served as player-captain of the town's lawn and paddle tennis teams, and for many years was an instructor in the town's recreational youth and women's tennis programs.

Shirley was voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction literature, and made a daily practice of completing the NY Times crossword puzzle, often in well under an hour. She was an accomplished gardener, chef, and an aficionado of all genres of music, especially classical and heartland America folk music and an avid member-supporter of several environmental and human rights organizations.

Aside from her husband, Shirley is survived by her daughter and son-in law, Drs. Susan McManus and Robert Pickoff of Morristown, NJ and Rodgers Rock Ticonderoga NY; sons and daughters-in-law . and Suzanne McManus of South Salem, NY; John McManus and Dr. Marsha Kallich of Princeton, NJ; Thomas and Kaori McManus of Ridgefield CT; Dr. Paul and Elizabeth McManus of Altanta, GA; David and Susan Smiga-McManus of Etna, NH, and Kevin and Renee McManus of Newtown, CT; her 16 grandchildren, including Dylan, Kate, James, Michael, Conor, Ryan, Margaret, Padraic, Kenneth, Liam, Zackary, Erika, Jack, Kiely, Reilly, and Lucie; and her two brothers, David W. Whelan, USN (retired) of Seattle, WA, and Dr. Richard J. Whelan of East Greenwich, RI. She was pre-deceased by her brother, John Everett Whelan.

A Mass of Christian Burial was said on April 19, 2012 at Christ the King Church in Kingston and was followed by burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY.
Donations may be made in her name to Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY, or to Christ the King Church.