Sue Benton Manning

On August 25th, 2018, Sue Benton Manning, 80, passed away at her home in Greenville, SC. Sue was born in Monroe, NC to Glenn and Frances Austin Benton and grew up in Rock Hill, SC. She attended Winthrop Training School and later Winthrop College. Unconventional, irreverent and outspoken, Sue blazed her own path in this world with her larger-than-life vivacity and admirable strength.

A true force of nature, she earned the name "Crazy Sue" as a child, with her antics and wild ways. She was both a tomboy and a beauty, and her quick wit and flair for the dramatic made her a natural actress; she had an undeniable stage presence and beautiful smile. Never one to sit still, Sue played squash, tennis and basketball, and could sink a killer hook shot well into her 60s.

Sue often proclaimed, "I don't ever want to grow up!" She connected easily with children, as they were drawn to and adored her playful nature. Over the years, Sue volunteered for many organizations, but the role that gave her the most joy was dressing as a clown to entertain patients in the GHS Children's Hospital.

Cooking was Sue's true passion in life, and her way of connecting with and showing love for others. Ahead of her time on the farm-to-table movement, Sue drove miles for a specific variety of corn or watermelon and must have patronized every roadside stand in South Carolina. Her cooking ranged from elaborate boeuf bourguignon and risotto to buttermilk biscuits, peach cobbler, and fried chicken. Her family estimates that she has fed at least half of the state.

Sue and her family lived in Spartanburg and then in Greenville for over 30 years before she and Mackie, her husband, moved to Cashiers, NC. Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina allowed her to reconnect with a sense of awe and wonder. "I reinvented myself in the mountains," Sue wrote not long ago, "and savored the simple things like learning to play the mountain dulcimer and acting in community theater. I loved growing vegetables in my garden labyrinth, canning and preserving in the summer, and cooking for friends and relatives."

Mountain life inspired Sue to ask the big questions: Why am I here? What am I supposed to learn? Being true to oneself, and caring for the Earth and using its resources wisely moved to the front of Sue's mind, and she believed strongly that everyone was entitled to have a place to sleep and enough to eat. She was a voracious reader, learning much about life through the works of such writers as Wendell Berry, Rachel Carson, and St. Thérèse de Lisieux. Sue spent many hours in silence and solitude, studying and writing about spirituality, and described herself as a day-dreamer, a mystic and a contemplative.

She is predeceased by her husband Wellington "Mackie" Manning and her daughter, Cynthia Blankenship. She is survived by her daughters Stephanie Pierce (Dane), and Susie Héron (Rémi); her sisters, Anne Oates of Rock Hill, SC and Linda Ratterree (Coleman) of Blowing Rock, NC, and her grandchildren: Katie Nodtvedt (Ben) and their daughter, Harper, Ellie Pierce, Zack Blankenship, Charlotte Héron, Sophie Héron, Chris Pierce, and Andrew Pierce (Angie) and their children, Adeline and August.

At Sue's request, there will be no services. To celebrate her life, take time today to enjoy the beauty of nature, savor an heirloom tomato, or share a home-cooked meal with loved ones.

Sue was grateful for the care that she received by Dr. Gary Spitzer, Dr. Fahd Quddus and all of the wonderful infusion nurses at the Bon Secours Cancer Center. Special thanks to her compassionate caregivers, especially Alma Valerio and Cyndy Proctor, and to the Interim Hospice nurses for their care.

Memorial donations may be made to Feeding America www.feedingamerica.org), the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC (www.folkschool.org) or to Heifer International (www.heifer.org)

Visit the Mackey Mortuary online guest registry at www.mackeymortuary.com