"Samuel L. Manning was born in 1967 in Medford, Oregon to Lee and Charlene Manning, the youngest of four children.  He is survived by his parents and two sisters, Patty and Heather.  His brother, Richard, preceded him in death. 

He was raised in Medford, OR and after completing high school, moved to Portland in 1986 with one of his best friends.  Throughout the last twenty-nine years, Sam returned to live in Medford twice.  During his last residence in Medford, he met the love of his life, Georgina (“Gina”)Pyeatt.  They married in 2000 and moved to Portland in 2001 where he has since remained.  Sam is survived by three sons, Lee, Stratford and Gibson and one daughter, Karli.  His fourth son, Zachary, preceded him in death.

Sam was a versatile musician with a natural talent for music; he practiced and performed daily.  His musical skills were primarily self-taught and his comprehensive personal play list is a testimony to his intellectual strength as it is both vast and voluminous.  His musical performances included cover songs, collaborations with other artists and his own compositions.  His instrument repertoire was unlimited as he could fashion music out of any instrument handed to him.  He was also an aspiring writer and was constantly working on projects both musical and prose.

Sam was highly respected in every venture for which he was involved.  People would seek him out for guidance in music, personal, business, relationship, how-to and WTF advice.  He was a sympathetic, compassionate listener and would proffer up his assessments with unwavering honesty.  He was a welcoming, forgiving spirit and fostered many deep and lasting friendships as a result.

He was an entrepreneurial spirit and while he wore many hats professionally, he pursued self-employment throughout his working years and leaves behind his last business venture, Manning and Sons.

Words cannot describe how deeply he will be missed." - Obituary 2/13/15