MARYA MANFRED , age 72, of Luverne/Worthington, died Monday, January 10, 2022, at the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center, in Luverne. She was born December 5, 1949, in Minneapolis, to Frederick and Maryanna (Shorba) Manfred.

Marya grew up and attended elementary school in Bloomington, Minnesota. She moved to Luverne at age 10, and graduated from Luverne High School in 1967. After High School, Marya moved to Colorado for 1 year to study singing, music composition, and piano performance. Marya then finished her bachelor's degree, majoring in Art, at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Marya was a member of NAMI for many years. She worked for the Consumer Survivor Network at Marshall before becoming a Certified Peer Specialist at Southwestern Mental Health Center in Worthington and Luverne, where she taught art therapy.  She was deeply respected for her work there.

She enjoyed traveling with friends, and loved the theater, movies and art museums. One of Marya's first paintings, The Dance of Life, which is a celebration of the human form and of life itself, will be on display at the Rock County History Society in Luverne at selected times over the next years.

Marya is survived by her sister, Freya Manfred and her husband, Thomas Pope, both of Stillwater, Minnesota; and two loving nephews, Nicholas Bly Pope, Twin Cities; and Ethan Rowan Pope, Twin Cities.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and brother, Frederick Manfred Jr. in 2016.

Memorial service will be 5 pm Wednesday, May 11, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. Lunch and fellowship will take place after the service. A private family committal of cremains will take place at a later date.

To live stream the funeral service please visit http://www.facebook.com/DingmannFH