C. Jordan Mann The Rev. C. Jordan Mann, 91, died in Kerrville, Texas on Friday, January 1, 2010. His family was nearby.

Jordan and his twin brother John Wayne, Jr. were born at the Jordan Sanatorium in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on March 5, 1918 to J. Wayne Mann, a Methodist minister, and Gussie Rhinehardt Jones. They had a sister Lenora Donaldson Mann, born December 7, 1915.

Jordan grew up in Arkansas, and, in 1937, transferred to Southern Methodist University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts two years later. He received a Bachelor of Divinity (now the Master of Divinity) in 1942 from SMU School of Theology (now Perkins School of Theology). The same year, he joined the Southwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church and entered the U.S. Naval chaplaincy. He served as chaplain in the U.S. Marine Corps at Camp LeJeune, NC and a brief time with the marines in the south Pacific. Following the war, Jordan continued his ministry, serving pastorates over the next fortyfive years at Charlotte, McCamey, Austin (St. Luke, Tarrytown and Memorial), Columbus, Sinton, Brownsville, Kerrville District, Del Rio and Kingsville.

Jordan and Betty Conley of Raymondville, Texas married on August 22, 1941. They had three children. Charles Wayne and his wife Sandra, attorneys in Edinburg, Texas, have two sons, Charlie and Willie. Clifford Calvin, a retired doctor living in Arizona, and his wife Chris have two daughters, Rebecca and Emily, who is married to John Fitzner. Margaret Elizabeth and her husband Murray Libersat have three children – Julien, Jeffrey and Julie. Julien and his wife Valerie have one child, Mathias Jordan.

In 1982, Jordan retired in Kingsville where he and Betty continued to live for another very active fifteen years. This was an especially important for family visits with children and grandchildren. They also participated in Elderhostel programs all over the U.S. and abroad, worked on hobbies and spent time at their cabin “Mann-Made” outside of Kerrville. Jordan’s reading and woodworking were his main passions later in life – reading at least two books a week, whittling, chip carving or furniture building – wherever they went.

In 1997, Jordan and Betty moved to a retirement home in Kerrville where Betty died in 2000. Jordan continued his hobbies and particularly enjoyed his participation in the Good Books Reading Group at Dietert Center.

Jordan will be remembered as much for his contributions as a Methodist minister, husband and father as for his sharp intellect, humor and wit. He and his wife, their love for each other and the life they lived together, dedicated to learning new things and to helping others, will remain an inspiration for his family and those who knew him.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at First United Methodist Church, 321 Thompson Drive in Kerrville, Texas 78028. Jordan’s ashes will be interred next to his wife’s at their cabin on the South Fork of the Guadalupe River. Donations in Jordan Mann’s name may be made to the following causes which he supported: Good Neighbor Settlement House, 1254 E. Tyler Street, Brownsville, TX 78520; Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750133, Dallas, TX 75275; Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104.