Laura May McManus

Laura May McManus passed away on September 9, 2025, at the age of 91. She was born in Houston, Texas on January 7, 1934, to her parents David and Edith Cooper. The family moved from the Heights area in Houston to Pasadena, Texas. May went on to meet and marry her husband of 71 years, Doyle McManus, at the First Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas.

May graduated from Pasadena High School, where she took every art and business class offered. Following high school, she began working at Sinclair Refinery as a secretary and later retired as the plant manager's secretary from Occidental Chemicals after a 22-year tenure. May and her sister, Pat, owned and ran a wedding catering business in the 1960s.

May grew up at First Baptist Church in Pasadena, and upon marriage, she and Doyle attended and served at South Avenue Baptist Church in Pasadena. In 1962, the McManus family moved their membership to South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena and remained until her death. May taught Sunday School for 70 years. She impacted many lives with her talent and creativity in art, research, and presentation, to relate current times to Biblical concepts. She served and led many different committees at every church she attended and was a leader in many women's events over the years.

May loved to draw, paint, decorate, create flower arrangements, and travel. She was an avid reader and saw beauty in the small details of creation and in the world around her. She loved traveling to Europe, admiring the vast architecture and learning about the history of the area. May was known for being talented, creative, artistic, a hard worker, kind, caring, selfless, a prayer warrior, and had a heart for service to others.

She is preceded in death by her parents, David and Edith Cooper, and her sisters, Patricia Powitzky and husband Calvin Sr., Gerry Davison and husband Marion. She is survived by her loving husband of 71 years, Doyle McManus; daughters, Sherry Green and husband Tommy, Becky Dobbins and husband Gery; son, Dan McManus and wife Kathy; grandchildren, Brian Green and wife Kristie, Kristin Creager and husband Kevin, Marie Henry and husband Shady, Daniel McManus, Jennifer Hanks and husband Kevin, and Brittany Furr and husband Quade, along with 14 great-grandchildren.