This Veterans Day, Manning Memorial Services invites the community to honor America’s heroes in a simple but meaningful way—by visiting their new location at 134 Thompson Street in historic downtown Ashland and taking home a free American flag.
The local memorial service provider, founded by Daniel Manning Jr. and Mary Renee, is welcoming visitors throughout Veterans Day to learn more about the no-cost services they offer to veterans and their families. Manning Memorial Services provides free restoration and preservation of fallen veterans’ graves, including headstone cleaning, alignment, installation, and assistance in completing VA paperwork.
“We want to make sure every veteran’s final resting place is honored with dignity,” said Daniel Manning Jr., co-owner of Manning Memorial Services. “It’s not just about the stone—it’s about the story. Every veteran deserves to be remembered.”
Manning Memorial’s new location at 134 Thompson Street in historic downtown Ashland
Manning and Renee will be outside their new downtown Ashland location on Veterans Day, greeting guests and helping them complete a brief form to record information about local veterans and their burial sites. Their goal is to create a registry of veteran graves in the Town of Ashland, ensuring they receive regular care for generations to come. "We follow up, find their final resting places, and preserve them. It takes a community to make sure that veteran graves are taken care of," says Manning.
For Daniel Manning Jr., this work is more than a profession—it’s a personal mission shaped by his years of military service and his time at Arlington National Cemetery. After working at the Pentagon during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Manning was transferred to Arlington, where he helped assign and maintain the graves of fallen service members.
“I uncovered graves from every era of American history—including the Civil War,” he recalls. “I took every cracked, leaning, crumbling stone and saw they were cleaned and stood erect. That became my purpose.”
His dedication inspired the founding of Manning Memorial Services, where that same care is extended to veterans across local cemeteries and churchyards. “Not every hero rests in a national cemetery,” Manning says. “Some are here, right in our own backyards—and we will find them, preserve them, and honor them.”
Co-owner Mary Renee, a veteran herself, shares that commitment. “All of my grandparents were in the military,” she says. “I joined the Army because I wanted to continue that legacy of service. This work allows us to give back to others who’ve served.”
Together, Manning and Renee are building a community of remembrance—one that ensures every name is known, every headstone stands tall, and every sacrifice is honored.
Manning Memorial Services’ new office in downtown Ashland reflects that vision: a place where stories of service, love, and legacy continue to live on.
This Veterans Day, stop by 134 Thompson Street to pick up a free flag and learn how Manning Memorial Services is helping preserve the memory of America’s heroes—because no veteran should ever be forgotten.