Kenneth Manry

Kenneth Marion Manry, 90, of Ellenwood, GA, passed away at his home of 45 years on July 20, 2025. Ken was born in Thomasville, GA, to Edwin Winfield Manry, Sr. and Euretha Hendricks Manry on August 14, 1934. He had many fond memories and stories he would tell you about growing up in a small town and on a pecan farm in South Georgia. If you knew him, you certainly heard about John’s Lunch Room where the hamburgers and hot dogs were 10 cents each, all his memories of going to the Rose Theatre to see movies whenever he could, and the years he lived on Monroe St. across from the “Big Oak” and had a couple of cats named Bittie and Whittie.

After graduating from high school, Ken joined the Air Force in 1954 and was stationed at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, TX. He received an honorable discharge due to health issues and decided to move to New York in 1956 to pursue a career in acting! He’d loved movies all his life and was thrilled when he was hired to work during the summer stock theater which consisted of 8 different shows that would each last a week. He had small roles in several of the plays including one with Charlton Heston and another with Billie Burke who played Glinda the good witch in the Wizard of Oz. In 1957, while he was in New York, Ken attended a Billy Graham Crusade where he was saved, and he always said it was a day he’d never forget. In the spring of 1958, he started his college career at Georgia Southwestern and later transferred to the University of Georgia where he received his B.S in Education. He received his Master’s degree in Counselor Education in 1964 at Georgia Southern. He taught US History and General Math for a couple of years but decided the classroom wasn’t for him. He moved to Atlanta and was hired at North Clayton High School as a guidance counselor, where he worked for 26 years before retiring in 1991. Ken was an avid sports fan, and coached high school basketball and watched many games that his kids played in growing up. He was a huge fan of UGA football (his alma mater) and Georgia Tech football (his daughter Kara’s alma mater). He always said that he’d always cheer for both and would want the team with the best record to win their yearly game.

Ken married Mildred “Millie” Lou Hammons in 1980, and they moved into their home in Ellenwood that same year. Millie preceded Ken in death on May 20, 2021, and he’s missed her every day since then. We know they’re celebrating in Heaven at their joyous reunion. Ken is survived by his daughter, Kara Manry; son, Matthew (Caitlin) Manry; and granddaughter, Millie Rose Manry. Ken became a first-time grandfather last year just after he turned 90 and Millie Rose has brought so much light and joy to his life. He is also survived by his brothers, Edwin Winfield Manry Jr. of Cocoa Beach, FL; and Jerry (Sharyn) Manry of Snellville, GA; sister-in-law, Dianne (Ed) Burts of New Smyrna Beach, FL; brother-in-law, David Hammons, of Charleston, SC; sister-in-law, Suzanne (Mark) Hammons, of Orlando, FL; and many nieces, nephews and extended family. His parents, two baby brothers, and brother-in-law Mark Hammons also preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held at Horis A. Ward – Fairview Chapel in Stockbridge, GA on Saturday, July 26, 2025, with a visitation at 10am and service at 11am. After the service in the chapel, we will have a vehicle procession into Fairview Memorial Gardens where he will be laid to rest.

If you would like to donate in Ken’s memory, the family would like to recommend some charities that were close to his heart: https://www.just1.org/, https://www.feedthehungry.org/donate, https://www.samaritanspurse.org/, https://www.choa.org/donors-and-volunte