William Judson Manly, Jr.

William Judson Manly, Jr., was born in Dalton, GA on May 8, 1929, the second child of Mary McLellan Manly and William Judson Manly, Sr. He finished his earthly life in Dalton on October 19, 2025 surrounded by his loving family.

Judson was a graduate of Dalton High (’46) and a 1950 graduate of Georgia Tech where he earned one of the newly created degrees in Industrial Engineering. He married the love of his life, Nann Eldridge Manly on August 11, 1951. The newly weds spent a couple of years in Japan, compliments of the US Air Force, before returning to Dalton to raise their family. Judson was proud to work in the family business, Manly Jail Works (now Manly Steel) and developed new equipment for the expanding carpet business. He held leadership roles in First United Methodist Church, Cherokee Estates home for children, and was proud to have over 60 years of perfect attendance in the Dalton Rotary Club. He researched family history and made a detailed chart covering hundreds of years, lovingly adding the names and dates of marriages, deaths and births. He could tell you many tales about the Civil War battles around northern Georgia. He also played golf every Sunday afternoon it wasn’t raining until the last few months of his life.

Judson was predeceased by his parents, his beloved wife, his brother Jim Manly, sister Mary Manly Ryman, and daughters Lisa and Diane. Left to cherish his memory are his brother Bob (Gwen) Manly, sister-in-law Ina Faye Manly, daughter Julie Manly Chapman, son Mike (Angie) Manly, grandchildren Kathleen (Eric) Kimpton, Maegen (Patrick) Osborne, Maggie (Cameron) Cantrell, Mark Manly, Abby (Sam) Kirk and 5 precious great grandchildren Lane Cantrell, Jack Kimpton, Callie Cantrell, Annie Cantrell, and Declan Kimpton. Judson was also honored to claim an abundance of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews as family.

A celebration of the long active life of Judson Manly will be held at The River Community Church at 1pm on Saturday, October 25. Visitation with the family will begin at the church at 11am that day, continuing until time for the service. Memorial gifts may be given in his honor to The River Community Church, the Rotary Club, or Georgia Sheriffs’ Cherokee Estates in Dalton.

Condolences and messages of sympathy may be expressed for Mr. Manly's family through Love Funeral Home's online guest book.