Nancy “Boo” Hooker Manning, 86, died at home in Raleigh on Monday, June 24, after a brief illness. Boo was born on June 15, 1938, in Martinsville, Virginia. She was the daughter of the late Samuel Arthur and Margarita Scott Hooker. She graduated from Mary Baldwin College in 1960 with a degree in English literature and served as an elementary school teacher in Richmond and Atlanta following her graduation.

Boo married William Edward “Bill” Manning, a Roanoke Rapids native and the love of her life, in 1964. They lived in Morehead City, NC, where their first son, Ned, was born. Boo and her family moved to Kinston in 1970, where sons Hooker and Scott were born. She and Bill were married for 46 years until his death in 2011. Boo raised her family with unyielding love and support and was known by her many friends for her kindness, humor and devotion to those she loved. Boo was active in many community causes and a member of First Presbyterian Church in Kinston for more than fifty years.

In 2022, Boo moved to The Cardinal at North Hills to be near her family and cherished her last two years there. There, she made new friends and quickly became beloved by the staff, who enjoyed her sense of humor and called her a “beacon of hope.”

Boo is survived by her sons William Edward Manning Jr. and wife Penelope Pelletier Manning of Chapel Hill, Samuel Arthur Hooker Manning and wife Katherine Rice Manning of Raleigh, Preston Scott Manning and wife Ann Spitsbergen Manning of Charlotte. Also surviving are seven grandchildren, Mary Scott Manning and fiancé Eric Scott Van Arsdale of Washington, D.C., Nancy Lucinda Manning of Raleigh, Samuel Arthur Hooker Manning Jr., Katherine Elizabeth Manning and William Charles Rice Manning of Raleigh, Preston Scott Manning Jr. and Charlotte Alexis Manning of Charlotte. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, William Edward Manning, her brother Samuel Arthur Hooker, Jr., her sister Margaret Hooker Williams, and granddaughter Caroline Elizabeth Manning of Raleigh.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 1 at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Kinston with Rev. Travis Allen officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Kinston, 2101 N. Herritage St., Kinston 28501, Arendell Parrott Academy, 1901 Dobbs Farm Road, Kinston, NC 28504, or the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements made by Edwards Funeral Home & Cremations. Online condolences may be expressed at www.edwardsfhc.com.