lit a candle 2d agoMy mother called me from back home last night with the news, it was already morning here in Sydney. She said Linda grew up just streets away from her in Mount Rainier, and that she never once held her tongue when something needed saying. Sixty seven is far too young. Praying for her family from this distance.
Their story
Linda Marie Ditlow Manzanares died on October 28, 2026, at the age of 67. Her passing was announced through an obituary published by Jones Funeral Home in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where her services were being arranged. Unlike many people profiled on this site, Linda Manzanares was not a public figure…
Linda Marie Ditlow Manzanares died on October 28, 2026, at the age of 67. Her passing was announced through an obituary published by Jones Funeral Home in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where her services were being arranged. Unlike many people profiled on this site, Linda Manzanares was not a public figure in the conventional sense of holding elected office, working in entertainment, or leading a well known organization. She does not have an existing public record of career achievements, awards, or media coverage beyond the notice of her death, and this page reflects that reality honestly rather than inventing a public career she did not have.
What is known about her life comes from her obituary and the biographical details it shares. Linda was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and according to her obituary she spent much of her childhood in the nearby Mount Rainier and Brentwood areas of Maryland, just outside the capital. Those neighborhoods, long home to working and middle class families in the D.C. suburbs, formed the backdrop of her early years before she eventually settled in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Her obituary describes her less in terms of professional accomplishment and more in terms of personality and character. She was remembered as outspoken and direct, a woman who was said to have told people exactly where they stood and who had, in the words of her family, a spirit that could never be mistaken for anyone else's. Her family also highlighted her generosity as one of her defining qualities. These are the kinds of details that, while not the stuff of headlines, are exactly what the people who loved her wanted the world to know.
Linda was predeceased by her parents, Louise Nelson and Jimmy Nelson. She was survived by her brother, Larry Ditlow, and by a family described in her obituary as one that loved her deeply and holds countless memories of her. No cause of death has been made public, and no further details about her occupation, marital history, or children have been confirmed through reputable sources at this time.
Her death leaves what her family called a space in their hearts that cannot be filled. Jones Funeral Home of Jacksonville, North Carolina, is handling her arrangements.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy | Obituary.
That's kind of you to share, thank you.