Manya Brooke Stoetzel, 70, of St. Leonard, MD, and Summerfield, FL, died September 13, 2010, at her residence in Summerfield.

She was born April 11, 1940, in Houston, TX, to Royce Lynn and Helen Eiker Brooke. After graduation from Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas, she attended Rice University. However, it was at Iowa State University where her formal study of entomology, the study of insects, began. She transferred to Wisconsin State University, River Falls, where she met her husband of 48 years, Faran Eugene Stoetzel. Faran accepted a job with Dowell Schlumberger Corp. in 1961 and the newlywed couple moved to Venezuela. Their first son Frank Eiker Stoetzel was born in October 1962 in Venezuela.

Returning to the United States, Faran accepted a job in 1964 for the Bureau of the Census, Commerce Department, Jeffersonville, IN. Their second son Kevin Lynn Stoetzel was born in August 1964 in Indiana. They moved to Maryland where Manya continued her studies in entomology receiving her Bachelors (1966), Masters (1970), and Doctorate (1972) degrees from the University of Maryland. Dr. Manya Stoetzel's professional career spanned more than 30 years at the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, where she provided systematic research and expertise on a variety of insect groups, including specializing in the biosystematics of aphids. She served as President of the Entomological Society of America in 1996. She was proud to be an entomologist and she met wonderful people during her career, including her mentor Louise Russell.

Since her retirement in 2002, Manya and Faran split their time between the family beach house they owned since 1976 in Long Beach, MD and their retirement home in Summerfield, FL. She loved being Grandmother to her grandsons, Jack and Nick Stoetzel, and spending holidays with her family. She will be remembered as a very loving and giving person who had a great sense of humor.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and son Frank Eiker Stoetzel. She is survived by her son Kevin Lynn, daughter-in-law Felicia Marie and grandsons Jack Thomas and Nick Joseph (all of Huntingtown, MD). She is also survived by two brothers, James Brooke, Aiken, SC, and Ronald Brooke, Orlando, FL and several nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 24, 2010, at 1:00 pm, at Christ Church, 3100 Broomes Island Road, Port Republic, MD 20676. A luncheon will follow in the Christ Church Parish Hall. Burial will be private.

Arrangements were made by the Rausch Funeral Home, PA. 4405 Broomes Island Rd., Port Republic, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Manya's name to Christ Church at the above address.