Margretta "Charlotte" Manley

Charlotte passed away at the age of 92 peacefully in her sleep at her home at Ciel/Columbia Landing in Wenatchee. The day of her death she reached out to her angels and her sweet husband on his 98th heavenly birthday. Her last earthly wish was to be reunited with her loved ones and say her final goodbyes and “I love you” to her daughter. She battled heart failure, kidney disease, and dementia for many years. She was the daughter of Lillian and Nels Berglund. A resident of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee for all her life except for three years at Lake Chelan. Her parents separated when Charlotte was very young. The youngest of four sisters growing up during the Great Depression, she loved her family, “the simple times”, walking to school and all over downtown, and friendships. As a teenager living next to the bus station, she often went on adventures to Seattle to visit her older sisters. Once in Seattle, she would walk from the bus station to her sister’s, enjoying all the sights along the way. Charlotte attended school in Wenatchee and graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1950. While in high school she worked at the Rialto Theater. She told the story of going before the judge to get permission to work at the age of 15. Her dream upon graduating from high school was to settle down and start a family. One afternoon while window shopping downtown she saw a young man crossing the street wearing a green plaid jacket. Charlotte and Harold found they had mutual friends and soon their romance budded and they were married on November 10, 1951. The first year they welcomed their “honeymoon” baby Jennifer, and three years later Robert was born. Harold and Charlotte both came from very poor and broken homes with hopes of having a family and worked hard to pursue their dreams. During their marriage, they built three homes together in East Wenatchee, Lake Chelan, and finally back in Wenatchee, spending 45 years on Castlerock Street together. Being an orchardist, Harold was not able to get away during much of the growing season, however, once Robert took over the orchard operations they enjoyed travels to Hawaii, northern Europe, Spain, Mexico, and a cruise through the Panama Canal. Charlotte and Harold were married for 62 years. When Jennifer graduated college she wanted to take a driving trip to Reno to visit her grandparents. Charlotte insisted she couldn’t go alone. So, Charlotte rode shotgun on this “Mustang mother-daughter trip”. The trip down was spent visiting other family in Oregon and enjoying various sites along the way. The one-day trip home was the last of the shotgun adventures. Maybe too thrilling, too much, too fast. Charlotte was mostly a stay-at-home mom, however, she also assisted in the orchard by doing the bookkeeping. As the kids got older she also worked at JC Penney’s advertising, Wells and Wade advertising, and later at the Chelan County Courthouse in the Treasurer’s office. She retired at the young age of 55 and her dream was then to be a grandma. Within a few years, Michelle was born to her daughter Jennifer and husband Michael Reese. Charlotte was a loving stay-at-home grandmother spending many years of special days during Michelle’s youth. Also during this time, she became interested in the creative talents of crocheting and painting. Her painting flourished and became an extensive passion. Landscapes and flowers were her favorite subjects, she loved the beauty of the earth. She would create cards for the family on their special occasions with a unique poem and watercolor sketch. She also dabbled in sentimental poetry and was an avid reader. One winter when Jennifer and Robert were teenagers she even tried skiing at Mission Ridge to see what all the mountain adventure fun was about. Later in life she enjoyed activities at the Wenatchee Senior Center and was a regular at their Tai Chi classes for several years. She was also a member of Cascade Artists during her painting years. A great sadness came with the loss of her son Robert Manley due to cancer when he was just 49 years old. She was also preceded in death by her parents, husband Harold Manley, son-in-law Michael Reese, her older sisters Irene Byrd-Hodgsen, Beulah Byrd-Ralph, and Shirley Byrd-Wolfe. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Reese of Wenatchee, WA; granddaughter Michelle Reese of York, PA; nieces Jacque Phillips (James) of Sun City West, AZ; Pamela Sisley of Lynnwood, WA; and many extended great nieces and nephews. A special thank you to the kind and caring staff, caregivers, and friends she shared time with in her final years at Columbia Heights, Western Saddlerock, Colonial Vista, Avamere, and Ciel/Columbia Landing senior living facilities in Wenatchee. Also to her Confluence Health Hospice team for their exceptional gentle and compassionate care in her final months. Per her wishes, there will be no formal service. A special message from Charlotte and her family is to seek your dreams, enjoy every day, every opportunity and adventure, and in the words of her beloved son many years ago, “always remember the good times”.

Tributes

Margretta "Charlotte" Manley

November 1, 1931 - November 9, 2023