Dawn Lee (VanSlyke) Mannella

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Mannella, Dawn Lee (VanSlyke) Age 80 of Coon Rapids, MN passed away Nov. 24, 2018 surrounded by the love of her family. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Felix Mannella; children, Denise (Tom) Klint, Marci (Rob) Wills, Shelley Mannella, Tony (Danielle) Mannella, Felix Mannella Jr., Maria (Dan) Linders, Fred (Gel) Mannella, Frank (Christine) Mannella, and Angela (Tim) Hoffman; 19 grandchildren; 7 great- grandchildren; brothers, Gregg VanSlyke and John (Kellie) VanSlyke; many nieces and nephews. Dawn is simply, love. She married her best friend and loved him more as each day passed. Theirs is the greatest love story ever told. She loved her children, all nine of them. Her greatest gift was teaching them to love each other and to love Jesus. She was blessed to be "Granny" for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who felt her love all of the time. She was also mom and granny to many exchange students, refugees, homeless individuals, and her children's friends. Her love knew no bounds. She touched the lives of neighbors, friends, her extended family and complete strangers. She smiled throughout each day and said prayers for everyone each night. She saw the positive in every day. She made everyone she met feel loved. She will be missed by many of us who she would call regularly, many of us she prayed with, or just sat with and listened. There will be a hole in our hearts with her gone, but she would want us to fill our hearts with love for God and others. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Feed My Starving Children or Reiser Relief for Haiti. Mass of Christian Burial, Mon. Dec. 3, 10:30AM with visitation one hour prior at the Church of the Epiphany, 11001 Hanson Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids. Visitation will also be held Sun. Dec. 2, 3-7PM with a prayer service at 6PM at: Washburn-McReavy.com Coon Rapids Chapel 763-767-1000 1827 Coon Rapids Blvd.

Published on December 2, 2018