Nyona McMannis

Please click this link to view the video tribute: http://videos.lifetributes.com/?id=13363 Nyona Taggart was born in San Diego, California on March 11, 1927. She was the youngest of three children born to Pearl and Walter Taggart. Phillip was her older brother and Nyola is her sister’s name. Nyona’s family moved to Long Beach, California where Nye, as she like to be called, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1945. On Saint Patrick’s Day 1946, Nyona married John Atwood Yoder. They had two children together, Steven Burton and Susann Annette. In 1959 after being a single mother for many years, Nyona met Bruce Roland McMannis and they married. Nyona and Bruce remained residents of Long Beach, California for the rest of their lives. Bruce had his own plumbing business and “Bruce’s Plumbing and Heating” was a well known business in Long Beach up until Bruce’s retirement. Nyona worked for 20 years as a dental assistant. Marriage to Bruce brought a new step-daughter into Nyona’s life, Linda Dohrman. Trough Linda, Nyona became step-grandma to Cindy Mora, Phil and LeRoy Dohrman, and Melissa Reyes. Nyona had 4 step-grandchildren and seven step-great grandchildren. She also became a step great-great grandma. Through her daughter Susann, she became grandmother to Chet Allan Schliebe and Christine Annette Warner, and great grandmother to Johnny Lee Warner. After retiring from the dental office she worked for, Nyona remained a home maker for the rest of her life. In 1984, Nyona was diagnosed with cancer. Her courage and determination to live triumphed over her disease, and she, after extensive surgery, lived another 23 years before lung cancer took her life at age 80. In 2004, Nyona was taken on a Caribbean cruise by her daughter Susann and her son-in- law. Nyona told many of her friends that this was the highlight of her life. Nyona was a woman who was courageous, and once she set her mind to accomplish a task, she always did. Nyona will be remembered with love by her family and friends and the memory of her love will never be forgotten.