“A Marine is taught to play the cards he’s dealt. When you’re confronted with a situation like Alzheimer’s, then instead of turning your back on it and walking away, you confront it.”
Retired Lt. Col. Martin F. Manning, (1929-2013) from an interview on Good Morning America that aired on Oct. 25, 2000 (see videos below), on caring for his wife Lynn at home after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the 1990s. He was the kind of husband a man should be.
Martin Manning passed away on August 10, 2013. Born April 15, 1929 in Bronx, New York, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17, and 3 years later was accepted at the United States Naval Academy (USNA ’52). During his distinguished career as an officer in the US Marine Corps, he received the World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal. He retired as a Lt. Col. in 1972 and moved his family to Liverpool, NY. He taught high school at St. John the Baptist in Syracuse from 1972 – 1974 and Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse from 1974 until 1993, when he retired to become a full time caregiver for his beloved wife, Lynn, who had Alzheimer’s disease. After Lynn’s death in 2002, he was fortunate enough to be blessed with the love of his second wife, Darlene. They married in 2007 and she survives him. Read more about Marty at: alzcny.org/chpblog/archives/1128
Watch the October 25, 2000 Good Morning America segment:
And the first Good Morning America video diary from October 1999:
