Janet Manion: 1954 - 2012
The Team Jesse Foundation was deeply saddened by the April 24th loss of the Travis Manion Foundation’s Founder and Chairman Janet Manion, mother of fallen hero 1st LT Travis Manion. Our deepest sympathies go out the entire Manion family, friends and supporters.
Janet has supported our mission directly since we were founded in 2010 and helped establish the basis of our partnership with the Travis Manion Foundation. As a direct show of support, Janet was physically present in Santa Rosa, California on June 9, 2011, Jesse’s 30th birthday, to see Matt Sauri and me off on our 95-day journey across America to honor the fallen. Later in the ride, she drove all morning to Washington DC to welcome Matt and me to Arlington National Cemetery to visit her son Travis’ resting place next to his Naval Academy roommate LT Brendan Looney, also killed defending our freedom. With just five days left to ride, we got to see Janet again in the Manion's hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. During that visit, her words of encouragement gave us great motivation to “finish strong” for a cause much more important than just finishing our journey.
Janet Manion will always be an inspiration to me personally. From her actions following the loss of her son, Travis, to the personal courage she displayed in her battle with cancer, Janet is a reminder of the importance of putting actions behind words and others before oneself.
The mission of the Travis Manion Foundation is honoring the fallen by challenging the living. At the Team Jesse Foundation, we intend to honor Janet best by doing just that.
Kevin Mincio President and Co-Founder US Army Veteran