Patrick J. McManus ’76, the former mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts, died on July 10, 2009, at his home in Lynn, Massachusetts.
He was preparing to run again after eight years out of office when he died. He was born in Lynn on July 20, 1954, and prepared for college at Lynn English High School, where he was class president and captain of the football team. At Bowdoin, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and scored the first touchdown of the season as a freshman football player. He went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Suffolk University and a law degree from Boston College. He also was a certified public accountant and certified managerial accountant, and traveled extensively to China and the Pacific Rim as a private consultant. He began his career in public service as a substitute teacher in the Lynn city schools, and later taught at North Shore Community College and Salem State College. He won his first elected office when he joined the Lynn City Council in 1985, and was elected mayor six years later. He served as mayor from 1992 to 2002, giving up the post to devote more time to his two step-children and three newly adopted children. He was a Trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; a member of Valladolid Council #70, Knights of Columbus; a member of A.O.H. Div. 10, Lynn; and a longtime member of the Gannon Golf Club. He was an avid reader and enjoyed his daily cigar with close friends. He is survived by his wife of 10 years, Debra Dorgan McManus; his mother, Kathryn Kay Gainey McManus; a son, John R. McManus; four daughters, Laura E. Christensen, YiYi S. McManus, Susannah D. McManus, and Marni N. McManus; a sister, Colleen M. McManus; four brothers, Garry McManus, Denny McManus, Terry K. McManus, and Robbie McManus; and one grandson.