Carolyn Frances Manes

Carolyn Frances Mainard was born Dec. 6, 1943, in Stafford, Kan., to Frances Josephine and Millard F. Mainard; married Ira E. Manes Jr. in 1967; and died in Oklahoma City, Aug. 9, 2025.

Because of her father's job in the oil industry, as a little girl Carolyn lived in too many small oil field camps in Kansas and Oklahoma to count, so when her family got to Oklahoma City, she never wanted to move again. She graduated from Northwest Classen High School and from Principial College with a double major in elementary education and art history.

She taught first and second and fourth grades in Putnam City Schools for more than 30years, beginning her career at Coronado Heights Elementary. She was honored to be chosen by Superintendent Mayfield as one of the first teachers in the district's innovative open-concept classrooms at Apollo Elementary. Among her roles over the years, she served as the school's Artists-in-Residence coordinator.

She was a long-time active member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, serving in multiple capacities, including as Sunday school superintendent, music committee chairman and second reader. Carolyn was a dedicated member of Ladies Music Club, Master Gardeners, And the Chrysantemum Society. She loved teaching people about butterflies, especially monarchs and swallowtails, regularly speaking to classrooms and for over a decade, ran a butterfly education booth at the state fair with Master Gardeners. She instilled a love of nature, books, God, music and learning in all her children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband. She is survived by her daughters, Joy Elizabeth Cavett, Katherine Dawn Dilley, and Carolyn Noel Manes her caregiver; six grandchildren, Michael, Gabriel, Anna and Madeline Dilley, and Maeve and Marion Cavett; her niece, Donna Butcher; her aunt, Jamie Burton; numerous cousins; and her beloved cats, Meowy, Mamacita, Patches, Midnight and Snow White.

The family would like to thank Crystal, Hayley and Anndrea for their compassionate care during Carolyn's final days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to National Audubon Society (audubon.org), World Wildlife Fund (worldwildlife.org), Heifer International (heifer.org) or Oklahoma Monarch Society (okmonarchsociety.org), or read a story to a child or watch the birds, flowers and butterflies.