Alan Taylor Manchester of Westport Harbor (MA) passed away on February 15, 2017, at Charlton Memorial Hospital, after a brief illness.
Born in Fall River on August 23, 1928, Alan was a life-long resident of Westport, a community he loved and supported. After attending Westport High School, he enlisted in the US Army, serving in the Philippines and Japan during WWII. Upon completion of his service, he attended Brown University before ultimately enrolling in the University of Massachusetts, where he completed a BS degree in Floraculture. Upon graduation, he returned to Westport with his love for flowers, plants, and gardening, and his new wife, Ruth Schorer Manchester, whom he met while both were at UMass. Married on August 25, 1951, the couple raised their three children in the home they established in Westport Harbor.
The greenhouses in Alan’s yard were a familiar landmark in the Harbor. In addition to raising flowers commercially, Alan applied his green thumb to growing plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Known for his generosity in spirit and in deed, Alan took great delight in sharing his bounty with friends and family, sending them off with bushels of produce.
Alan served on the Westport Conservation Commission for many years and was a member of the Westport School Committee for six years. An avid tennis player and golfer, he was an active member of the Acoaxet Club in Westport Harbor, for which he was a board member and president.
Alan is survived by Ruth, his wife of nearly 66 years; children Carol Manchester (Westport, MA), Lynn Pica (Hartford, MI), and Alan Scott Manchester (Hillsdale, NY); siblings Edith Peckham (Westport, MA), Richard Manchester (Westport, MA), Dean Manchester (The Villages, Florida). He was predeceased by a brother, Philip Manchester, Jr. (Westport, MA). Alan has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A private memorial service will be held in Westport Harbor.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Westport Land Conservation Trust (www.westportlandtrust.org) or the Westport River Watershed Alliance (www.westportwatershed.org).