Terence John McManus

Terence John McManus - Terry to his many friends - died on August 26, 2026 surrounded by his family, after a courageous fight with ALS.

He was born on July 9, 1953 in Attleboro, MA, the son of Joseph and Doris (née Morrissey) McManus. A bright red haired boy with an appetite for adventure, he found plenty of it - whether camping in the woods with friends including his lifelong best friend Charlie, or hitchhiking to Florida at the ripe old age of fourteen.

After a stint in the U.S. Army that stationed him in Italy - where, rumor has it, he spent most of his time playing guitar in the bars and pizzerias of Pisa, never once bothering to visit the tower - Terry came to Frostburg State University. There he discovered he didn't much love school, but he did love a particular art student, who had him from the start. He married Lois on July 16, 1979, and for the next 47 years he never failed to tell her how beautiful she was.

Terry made a career with the U.S. Postal Service and is still remembered fondly along his rural route. A New Englander at heart, he braved the fiercest Finzel storms to get the mail through, and he always made certain that letters to Santa reached the North Pole on time. In retirement he took up a new route, driving children to and from their occupational therapy appointments. "Mr. Terry," as they knew him, had a special ability to connect with these kids - their different personalities, their ways of communicating, their challenges. He met every difference with calm acceptance, took each child exactly as they were, and cared about them deeply.

Terry was always open to trying new things: a different style of guitar playing, sports like kayaking and cross-country skiing, travel to visit his daughters and see new parts of the world. During retirement, Terry especially enjoyed playing golf, meeting new golfers and making new friends.

Music ran through his whole life, and so did the friendships he made playing in bands including Applewood Smoke, Luxury Liner, and the Channel Cats. A left-hander, he played his guitar flipped over - which had the happy side effect of letting his guitar students mirror his hands. Left and right were a running theme with Terry. He once owned a postal jeep with the steering wheel on the right, and would have his daughter Kelly hold a toy wheel in the empty left seat, purely to enjoy the faces of passing drivers. And on the river with Lois, "watch out for that hole on the right" occasionally arrived in his head reversed. Flipping his kayak revealed yet another talent: he could hold his breath and commit to rolling up long after anyone else would have given in to the need to breathe and swam.

Most of all, he loved his family - his wife and his daughters, whose accomplishments he bragged about to anyone within earshot. Additionally, he loved his cats as much as they loved him.

He is survived by his wife and best friend of 47 years, Lois Gibbs McManus of Lewes, Delaware; his daughter Kelly McManus Chauvin of Woodside, California, her husband Vince, and their son, Sebastian; and his daughter Allison Ruth McManus of Richmond, Virginia.

He is also survived by his brother, Joe McManus of Westernport, Maryland; his sisters, Maura Fernberg and her husband Bruce of North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and Erin Bachini and her husband Charlie of Hope, Rhode Island; his wife's siblings, Mardie, Barby, Robbie, and Laurie, to whom he was a much-loved brother-in-law; and many nieces and nephews on both sides who knew him as Uncle Terry.

We will remember Terry for his kind heart, his happy go lucky resilience and his keen sense of humor. We will miss him for the rest of our lives, and hold him in our hearts forever.

A celebration of Terry's life will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026 from 2pm - 5pm at the Durst Funeral home in Frostburg, Maryland.

Terry was generous by nature, and nothing would please him more than knowing that someone in need had been met with that same generosity. In his memory, please give from the heart: lend a hand to someone who needs one, adopt a homeless animal, buy school supplies for a child, reach out to a family that could use the support. Donations may also be made to The ALS Association, or to the LaVale Lions Club, which lent Terry medical equipment during his illness and does the same, free of charge, for anyone who needs it.