Bryan Dennis Manning

Bryan Dennis Manning, 72, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on September 18, 2026, after a brave battle with FTD. He spent his final days surrounded by his wife, daughters and grandchildren.

Bryan was born on October 23, 1953, to Yvonne Barthelemy and Richard Manning and was raised on Denmark Avenue in Milton, Massachusetts.

He attended Saint Agatha School and Milton High School before graduating from UMass Amherst. His mother, Yvonne, was from Lorraine, France, and Bryan was deeply proud of his French heritage. He spent summers with family in France, beginning a lifelong love of French language and culture. He spent his junior year abroad studying at the Sorbonne in Paris and later earned his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Bryan was multilingual, fluent in French & Spanish, and conversational in Italian and German. His career took him around the world, including living in Italy and England and traveling throughout Europe, Asia and South America. Bryan loved experiencing different cultures and had a remarkable ability to connect with people wherever he went.

Fittingly, one of those trips changed his life. In 1979, while in Mexico for work, Bryan met Laura, who was there on vacation. That first conversation turned into four years of letters across countries and continents. In 1983, Laura joined Bryan in Milan, where he was living at the time. They married and eventually returned to Bryan's hometown of Milton, where they raised their daughters, Raquel and Brianna, on Brook Road.

Bryan was a loving, gentle, joyful and endlessly encouraging father. “This too shall pass” was a constant refrain in their home, as was Jimmy Cliff's “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” He taught his daughters to work hard, believe in themselves and always look for the silver lining. He extended that same warmth to their friends, who were always welcomed and loved in the Manning home.

Bryan built a long career as a marketing consultant in sensor technology. He also served as a marketing professor at Boston University, Babson College and UMass Boston, continuing to work and teach until 2022.

Bryan loved people and could make just about anyone laugh. He loved telling stories, singing, golfing, fishing, hiking and biking. A gifted golfer, he captained the Milton High golf team and caddied throughout his childhood. He sang in the choirs at Saint Agatha's and later Saint Anthony's, where he was known for his music-note ties and his favorite tie covered in little suns wearing sunglasses.

Bryan was diagnosed with FTD in 2016. He approached the decade that followed with the same optimism with which he approached his life, enjoying the moments in front of him. Those years also gave his five grandchildren the chance to know his silly, playful and funny side. Even when the disease took away his ability to speak, it never took away his humor or his ability to connect with them.

Bryan is survived by Laura, his wife and love of more than four decades; his daughters, Raquel Kochis and her husband, Tim, and Brianna Pierce and her husband, Matthew; his grandchildren, Henry, Yvonne and Luke Kochis, and Lucy and Walter Pierce; and his five siblings, Michelle, Richard, Christine, Bill and Tricia, along with their families.

His family takes comfort knowing that Bryan will be reunited with his parents, Yvonne and Richard.

A Funeral Mass celebrating Bryan's life will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, 10 Summer Street, Cohasset, MA 02025.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bryan's memory to Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, a community that meant a great deal to him, through the parish's online giving page.

Before he left us, Bryan chose words that he hoped would bring comfort to the people he loved and asked that they be shared here:

“Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away to the next room. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you. For an interval. Somewhere. Very near. Just around the corner. All is well.”