Loni Manning

To the best of our knowledge, Coach Manning was the founding coach of the Gavelin' Eagles. At this time, we do not know how or why she came to this role. Tragically, Coach Manning passed away in April of 2023, just days prior to the banquet celebrating the conclusion of our first post-reboot season. Her obituary (sourced from MemorialUtah.com) is included below:

Loni Avalon Rose Manning was born on June 22, 1954, in the Redstone castle near Manitou Springs, Colorado, to Walter Charles and Mary Alice Clark Manning. She grew up in Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

Loni chose to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of ten. Her life’s focus was to be like Jesus Christ, loving others as He does and doing good continually. She especially exemplified this quality with her students, wanting each one to know they were valued and loved.

Loni was a talented and popular educator. She earned numerous academic degrees, including a PhD from the University of Utah. She taught English as a second language and communication courses at the university and high school levels and presented at academic conferences. She taught English in Japan, was part of an exchange to China where she taught others how to teach English, taught high school students at Navajo Preparatory School in New Mexico and Lakota Tech High School in South Dakota, and taught international students at the University of Utah. Loni appreciated and valued all populations and cultures and sought creative methods to establish a peaceful world through cross-cultural understanding.

Loni lived an adventurous life which included traveling the world; outdoor sports such as hiking, camping, and fishing; and trying her hand at many vocations such as running the air traffic control tower at a small local airport at the age of 17, working at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, working for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Public Affairs Department, and being the curator of the Basque Museum in Boise, Idaho. In her later museum and teaching careers, she worked with Indigenous communities in culture and education.

Loni was a skilled artist.  She enjoyed being out in nature and sketching scenes which inspired her. Flowers were one of her favorite subjects. She also learned weaving, beading, Japanese ink painting, and other indigenous art forms. She played flute, guitar, and piano. Loni loved to sing and composed several of her own songs.

Loni loved entertaining, whether it was family, church friends, neighbors, or students. She held backyard parties and indoor game nights. Wherever Loni went, she made fast friends.

Loni had friends across the United States and all around the world. She lived in Colorado, Utah, Hawaii, Japan, Alaska, New Mexico, Idaho, and South Dakota; but Salt Lake City and her Sugar House neighborhood was the home she always returned to. Loni’s Sugar House friends loved her like family.

After a second bout with cancer, Loni passed away peacefully in her home in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Loni is survived by her sister, Marilyn Gibson (Ron); brother, Fred Manning (Helen); and several cousins, nieces, nephews and their children. Loni was preceded in death by her father, Walter Charles Manning; mother, Mary Alice Clark Manning; sister, Carolyn June Manning Brink (Glen); and sister, Della Marie Manning.