JOHN

Condolences & Memories (1 entries)

• My Uncle John was one of the finest human beings I encountered. Incredibly kind to this goofy, horse adoring niece of his. I have some pictures he took of me growing up, always on one of our horses on the farm in Hudson, WI. He used to sit with me for hours in our horse barn, talking about his experiences working at the Arlington Racetrack as an incredibly handsome 16 year old. I have a black and white photo of him in muck boots, wool sweater, linen blazer, and tam on his head, holding the lead of a Thorough bred looking to be about 16 hands (4" is a Hand) tall. He talked for hours of his incredible sense of pride in his sons Bruce McManus, playwright, Terry McManus, attorney, daughters Lorena McManus, a director in Palliative Care in Manitoba, Canada, and his "Baby", the stunning Rhea McManus, and all his gorgeous and talented grandchildren. After his wife, my Aunt Eileen died, he used to just lock up the house in Winnipeg and drive the 8 hours to our farm, tons of film and a couple of cameras in hand. My Mother, his sister Theresa McManus, R.N., (mother of 9!!) the only sibling left living (age 91, Edina, MN) used to worry herself ill at the idea of him driving back and forth, alone, at an advanced age. He just smiled and said nothing. She knew that my Dad, her husband, brother in law to John McManus, Neil Katner, brought Uncle John great joy in his quiet, genteel ways, and that our Uncle John McManus treasured his time on the farm. We didn't see him in the house much. Our land bordered the East Hudson entrance of Willow River State Park, WI, he'd walk from our land into the woods of the Park, some of which used to be Katner property, and take fabulous photos of Mother nature. Now a resident of Stillwater, MN, I am still holding out hope I can get some of his pictures of the Katner farm, of my deceased horses, my siblings when young, and my Mom and Dad when younger. I used to wonder at my personality, my love of writing, horses, and interest in all things historical, especially Ireland. I was definitely a different duck from my siblings, love them to pieces! Then, when I was 18, the sorrow of my Grandmother McManus passing, but the JOY of meeting, for the first time, my "Godfather" Bruce McManus. I was entranced at the time by his demeanor, his sense of integrity, and that he was aloof in terms of what anyone thought of him. I know him to be an incredibly talented screen writer and all things Theatre. Such an honor for me. I got to know him a bit back then. He took this foolish, sheltered farm girl out in the city, to pubs and whatnot. I had the honor to meet incredibly talented musicians, hosts, theatre staff, and it seemed everyone paid attention when my "Godfather" Bruce McManus entered a room. In the horse world, in the show ring, we call that ambience "great physical presence". That is a high level horse of any breed or mix, a horse that stands out as a highly intelligent, handsome being, showing strong character. I used to judge horse shows, I know exactly what that means, as does anyone who assesses character in humans and animals. My Uncle Jim McManus, Uncle John's brother, was an OSM Priest in Ayersville, P Quebec, Canada, for decades. "The Singing Priest" he had an album and toured with the Singing Nuns. It is such an incredible honor to have half of this bloodline, and my friends tell me someday I should write a book. They think we have great, "dark humor" in my family . The slightly sarcastic comes from my beloved father, Neil Katner. He also had an incredible sense of desiring public service, after his retirement from Andersen Window, he bought a third house in Gulf Shores, AL (border of FL and AL, on the Gulf Coast). He spent his remaining years of mobility working with Habitat for Humanity, at one site he had the honor of meeting President James Carter, who was one of the founders of Habitat for Humanity, Inc. My mother, John McManus' sister Theresa, was a tutor for the children of the recipients, whose parents did "sweat labor" aside from paying a low monthly fee for their mortgages. Habitat for Humanity is not free, it is the old fashioned concept of man helping man, donated materials by fabulous companies including Andersen Window Corporation, Bayport, MN. My Uncle John would have loved to be an unofficial photographer for them. My Dad was on the cover of the Habitat Website up on a ladder, for a month. Despite us making hard copies to show proof, he didn't believe the world had access back then. He later became very adept at using Facebook to share with grandchildren from afar. He was a huge fan of his brother in law, John McManus. They are colluding together in Heaven, as we speak. - Posted by: Louise McManus Katner (Niece) on: Feb 07, 2022