Terry Lee Manning

Terry Lee Manning, best known as “Big T” or “Big Tarief”, was born on May 3, 1964 in Bennettsville, South Carolina to (the late) Retha Mae McCall Manning and Walter Lee Frazier.  At the age of two, Retha Mae moved to Prospect Place in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York.  By age six, the family relocated to the Tilden Houses where Terry would remain.  

In 1982, Terry graduated from South Shore High School. Shortly thereafter, he attended Adelphi Business School where he studied business management.

T always had an eye for fashion and an ear for good music.  He was also an athletic being and very adamant about health.  He loved playing sports and dancing as well, and was very good at it.  In his earlier years, he was the lead member of a Hip-Hop group called the “THE PROJECT BOYS”.  At the time, they were featured on Video Music Box on a local TV station where they received local fame.

Big T was a business man … an entrepreneur to say the least. From managing artists to promoting clubs and even owning his own entertainment company Questiny Inc., he was a jack-of-all-trades. 

He was a gentle giant with a great sense of humor; a humble soul with a heart of gold, never raising his voice to demand attention, yet well known and well respected.  He was a person you could confide in, someone you could always count on, the best example of a leader to his people.  T was a family man; he always managed to take time out for his children to instill the significant values of family, loyalty, humility and self-respect.  One of his favorite phrases for them was “Live, Learn and Love the Life that you Live.”

On July 12th, 2017, T suffered from a spinal cord injury while exercising. He went through neurosurgery and had been hospitalized during recovery. Exercising was something he loved to do and passed on this healthy habit to his children.

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, T passed away due to complications from last year’s injury.  He will forever remain dear in our hearts. 

T is survived by his loving and devoted children: his daughter Tahura; his three sons: Tarief, Korey and Makhi; his fiancée Adriane; his two sisters: Sara Stephens (and her husband Chris Stephens) and Linda Hernandez; his brother Jerome Manning (and his wife Peggy Manning); and a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends.

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