Clara “Esther” Manning, age 90, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee passed away February 5, 2015, at Ben Atchley State Veterans Home in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Esther was born September 13, 1924, in Whitley City, Kentucky, the daughter of the late Henry “Pat” and Linda (Casada) Alcorn. Esther was an early member of the Oak Ridge Arts Center and past president of the Arts Center Guild. She graduated with high honors from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History. She was active in local garden clubs and had served as Secretary of the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs and on the board of the Ivan Ratcheff Memorial House and Gardens in Knoxville. She excelled at flower arranging, receiving awards in several local and state competitions. She was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge and a Methodist Medical Center “pink lady” volunteer. [Read more…]