Willie ("Cheetah") James Manning

Willie James Manning, son of the late L.C. and Mary Katherine Carrothers Manning, was born in Oxford, Mississippi on May 16, 1958, and was the youngest of five siblings.

Willie James grew up in the Barney Branch community where he was affectionately known as “Cheetah.” Cheetah received his elementary education at Johnson Peterson Elementary School in Oxford and was a people person, one who loved to talk stuff. He had a passion for cars and motorcycles, and he loved his family.

As a young adult, Cheetah moved to Aurora, Illinois where he accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour at True Holiness Fellowship Church under the leadership of Pastor Jerome Dobbs. He gained employment with Ford Motor Company, and later became a self-employed Ace mechanic. His passion for cars, and his good heart, led him to not only work on his cars, but on the cars of other, sometimes with pay and sometimes without pay.

Later Cheetah met the love of his life, Anita Dean, and prior to their marriage, they raised their two daughters. After a brief return to Oxford, Mississippi, he returned to Aurora, to be near his children. On Saturday, December 24, 2022, in Aurora, Illinois, Willie James Manning (aka: Cheetah) was suddenly called from this earthly world, to be at rest.

His memories will forever be cherished by those he leaves behind: his daughters: LaKesha Dean and Tamara Manning - (Gabriel) Feliciano, both of Aurora IL; 4 granddaughters: Trinity, Destiny, Genesis, Kyndal and one grandson: Jordan; his siblings: L.C. Manning, Jr., Leonard Ross Manning (George), and Annie Ruth Manning, all of Oxford MS, and Dr. Robert E. (Sandra Kay) Fox of Perkinston, Mississippi; A cousin/2nd dad: Andrew Burt; and his nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.