Portland, CT, Firefighter Who Was Struck Remembered as 'Public Servant in Every Sense of the Word'
Dec. 19—PORTLAND — Tim Manning's voice broke Thursday as he talked about stories he planned to tell at a celebration in January, when his brother, Shaun Manning, was to be sworn in as Portland's first selectman.
A local firefighter, business owner, public official and food drive organizer, Shaun Manning was killed Wednesday night when a pickup truck hit him as he crossed Main Street to attend a public meeting.
The married father and grandfather, a Republican member of the Board of Selectmen, ran Manning Home Builders Inc. and was a longtime volunteer firefighter. The Republican Town Committee earlier this month endorsed Manning to replace outgoing First Selectman Ryan Curley.
When the truck hit him, Manning was on his way to a meeting where the board was to appoint him to the paid first selectman's post, Curley said. Manning was to be officially sworn in on Jan. 2 and had planned to turn over management of his business and devote his time to the new job, Curley said.
The driver of the truck stayed at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation, police said.
A Portland native and one of seven siblings from a large, local family, Manning had been a firefighter for decades, and his death is a hard loss, local firefighters said Thursday.
"While he was not on duty nor responding to an emergency call," the Portland Fire Department said in a statement, "if the tables were turned he would have been the first one there.
"Any loss of life is tragic, however this one hits closer to home for our department. He was a dedicated firefighter and first responder who will be greatly missed," the statement said. "Shaun was devoted to serving our community, giving decades of his life to the fire department, as well as to the Town of Portland. The hole that this leaves is a big one and we will miss him dearly. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts as they navigate through this tragedy. Rest easy brother. We'll take it from here."
Curley is taking a job as Berlin's town manager and Manning was to fill out the first selectman's remaining term until November, when he planned to seek voters' approval to continue in the job, Curley said. Manning had been shadowing Curley to learn the ropes and attended a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to be formally introduced to town department heads.
"He was a happy warrior for the town," Curley said. "He cared deeply about the community — a public servant in every sense of the word. I had the privilege to work with him for four years (on the Board of Selectmen) and his passion for the town and improving the town was on full display for everyone to see. It's a heavy loss for the town, and my heart goes out to and breaks for his family."
Manning leaves his wife, Teri Manning, and their daughter, Stephanie Alger, who has three children. Tim Manning said those grandkids were the light of his brother's life.
In 2019, Shaun Manning stepped up to help his sister, Kelly Mainetti, run an annual food drive that Mainetti's in-laws had started. The drive, held before Thanksgiving to benefit the local food pantry, involves handing out empty bags to residents one weekend, then collecting the filled bags a week later. This year, of 1,500 bags distributed, 800 were filled and collected, Mainetti said.
Shaun Manning was a 1985 graduate of Portland High School. At the time of his death, he was studying for a bachelor's degree in business administration, his brother said.
But Shaun Manning always maintained his drive to help people as a first responder, Tim Manning said. He recalled once when the two were headed down Route 3 in Glastonbury and saw a car off the side of the highway. The driver had heart problems and Shaun Manning stayed with him until medics arrived, Tim Manning said.
"He was a real first responder," he said.
Grief counselors will be available from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at 592 Main St. to serve the community, the Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
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