We recently learned of the passing of our one sister, Ardis Manning ‘60, she will be greatly missed, and her legacy will be remembered. In her passing, she continued to give to the areas she loved the most- including Alpha Chi Omega. We are thankful and blessed that she left a piece of her estate- almost $100,000 to go towards Gamma Epsilon and is the starting point for our current renovation plans. In her honor an area within the house will be dedicated to her memory.

Read on below to view her obituary.

Source Courtesy of The Legacy

Ardis Arnold Manning died January l, 2022. Ardis was born September 10, 1938 in Tulsa, the only child of Clayton and Monica Ownby Arnold. She attended Lee Elementary, Horace Mann Junior, and Central High Schools in Tulsa, graduating in 1956. She attended Oklahoma State University receiving a B.S. in Education in 1960 and an M.A, also in Education from the University of Tulsa in 1970. Her insatiable, life-long desire to see the world led her to teaching for the Department of Defense in Germany during the 1960s. While there she visited Russia, Africa, the Far East, the Holy Land, and Europe.

Ardis served as a teacher and counselor in Tulsa Public Schools from 1970 to 1993. She loved children, animals, and nature. She was a Tulsa Zoo docent, did educational programs for Animal Aid of Tulsa, and was a wildlife rehabilitator. Her passion was nature photography and after retirement she visited Alaska, Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands.

She is survived by her husband, Frank Manning; step-daughter, Helen Howard; step-son, Frank Manning; cousins, Brenda Griswold, David Ownby, Mark Ownby, and Daniel Ownby; special friends, Stephanie Jackson, Tim and Alice Hewett, Kathy and Gary Siftar, and Jane Wieters.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, The Tulsa Zoo, and Animal Aid of Tulsa.