A Funeral Mass for Fermin Floyd Manning, 68, was held on Dec. 21, 2009, at St. Dominic Catholic Church.

    He peacefully passed away on Dec. 3, 2009, in the presence of his wife, Joyce, and daughter, Renata.

    He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years: Joyce Ann Schmidt-Manning; daughter: Renata and husband Dominique Gbogbo; daughter-in-law: Aimee  (Manning) Quigley; grandchildren: Katelyn and Ryan (Manning) Quigley and Foster, Dominique and Marley Gbogbo; two brothers and three sisters.

He was preceded in death by his son: Fermin F. "Buddy" Manning II; mother and father, three sisters and four brothers.

    As a volunteer and career educator and school counselor, Floyd offered his time and talents for more than 38 years to support his community in their education, social and spiritual growth. He touched many lives through his enormous strength and will to live and love, enduring the challenges of physical pain and disability with courage and tenacity.

    He was a disabled American veteran, an active member of Holy Cross Catholic Church and a member of the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus.  While serving in the U.S. Air Force, he met and married Joyce while was stationed in Oklahoma. He then worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Gallup. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Southwestern State University in Weatherford, Okla., before moving to Garden City to teach. He taught at Georgia Matthews Elementary and Buffalo Jones Elementary Schools. He was a counselor at Kenneth Henderson Jr. High and Abe Hubert Jr. High School, as well as the Bilingual Director for USD 4S7. He continued to volunteer at Kenneth Henderson, then at St. Dominic's and St. Mary's Catholic Schools offering his time as a counselor in the kindergarten classes.  Floyd was the first Garden City High School Swim Coach. He served on the Traumatic Brain injury team, was on the Board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and belonged to the Elks Lodge and the Knights of Columbus. He was an avid golfer and once scored a hole-in-one. Floyd loved to fish, camp, play horse shoes, sing, listen to music and dance. He loved to work with students. He enjoyed being with everyone.