Mary Deoppe McManus

Mary Elizabeth McManus, nee Deoppe, was called home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at her home in Portsmouth, Virginia. Mary had many careers in her time, always talking about what she “was going to be when she grew up”. She was a zookeeper primarily focusing on the lions and buffalo at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk after her first time graduating college, followed by being a RADCON (Radiation Control Team) yard bird at Norfolk Naval Shipyard both locally and wherever the government sent her until the birth of her first child. At that point, Mary decided to become a teacher so that she could spend the summers with her children and have an inside of the education system while still being able to be a stay-at-home mom for a time and go to and graduate college a second time. Following her much-celebrated retirement from Portsmouth Public Schools and having taught at Waters Middle School and Churchland High School, Mary continued her education once again and was most recently a certified tax accountant at Lila James’ Tax Services. Mary was not only incredibly quick-witted and intelligent but also highly educated. She held a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and was a dedicated Hokie. She also held a NAVSEA Article 108 technical certificate issued by Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a master’s degree in education from Old Dominion University, a bachelor’s degree in math from Norfolk State University and a host of accounting and tax certifications from Tidewater Community College. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Robert Neal McManus; mother, Ruby Estelle Deoppe nee Duncan; her father, John Elvin Deoppe; an older sister, Katherine Ann Deoppe; an older brother, John Edward Deoppe; and her nephew, Jason William McManus. She is survived by her children, Summer Brooke McManus, and Christopher Duncan McManus; two brothers-in-law, David William and his wife, Jan McManus, and Lee Emerson McManus; and three nephews, Matthew McManus, Christopher Smith, and David Smith. Mary also leaves behind a host of friends as near as dear to the family including but certainly not limited to Sonya Inman, Donna and Elmer Woodard, and John Pasquale, and loved “adopted children” from her time as a teacher. There is a horde of pets passed over the years that most certainly met her at the gates with Rob, and she will be missed by her dogs, Anubis (Doobie) and Ira, and her cat, Lucy. Mary was a devout born-again Christian who was passionate about life. She enjoyed gardening, fishing, crabbing, and camping and was always down to doing the craziest things! She was an exquisite baker and could create absolute wonders of gingerbread for Christmastime, homemade, of course. She read avidly and was a major fan of Tom Clancy, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. She made sure to try to instill in her children a love for literature of all types. She was an animal lover through and through, as shown by her work at the Zoo, her time working with domestic animals, and her pets throughout the years. There will be a visitation on Thursday evening, December 14, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Loving Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends. There will be a service on Friday morning, December 15, 2023, at 9:30 am at Loving Funeral Home, followed by a committal ceremony at Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens. Both services are public.