Louisa Claflin Mankin

Louisa Claflin Mankin, age 103, passed away peacefully on November 24, 2022, at her home in Newark. She was born in 1919 in Johnstown, PA and attended the University of Pittsburgh. She studied medicine at Temple University and was one of only 9 women in the graduating class of 1947.

Louisa Claflin married Victor Mankin in 1948. She worked in the Wilmington Public Schools from 1948 to I951, where she served as the district’s first full-time physician. She worked for the Governor Bacon Health Center from 1951-1952 and later resumed working on a part-time basis for the Wilmington and Newark School districts during the time when her children were young.

In 1971, Dr. Mankin was appointed by Delaware Governor Russell Peterson to serve a three-year term on his newly created Governor’s Council for Women. The Council’s purposes at that time included determining the nature and extent of discrimination against women in Delaware and fostering understanding of and appreciation for the contributions women could make to the growth and progress of the state and nation.

In 1973 she was hired as a full-time physician for the University of Delaware Health Service, a job she truly loved and where she continued to work until her retirement in 1986. Her quiet, extroverted personality was appealing to students, and many sought her out specifically, especially some female students during the years when she was the only woman physician on staff.

After retiring she spent time as a volunteer lecturer for the American Cancer Society and served as transportation coordinator for the Road to Recovery Program.  During her retirement years, she also enjoyed playing cards with friends at the Newark Senior Center, playing with her little dogs, and helping to raise her granddaughter, Maria. A highlight of her later years was when friends, extended family, and former co-workers gathered to celebrate her 100^th birthday.

Louisa was preceded in death by her husband, Victor, her parents Fred and Amelia Claflin, and her sister, Ann Claflin Miller. She is survived by her children, Lynn, Jim and Mark (Mary Jo), her granddaughter Maria, and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as 2 step grandchildren and their children.

The Mankin family would like to express sincere appreciation to Christiana Care’s Primary Care at Home Program and eternal gratitude to our mother’s longtime caregiver and friend, Julie Leonard. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Christiana Care Primary Care at Home, Office of Philanthropy, 400 Nexus Drive, Suite W3-300, Wilmington, DE 19803. Service and burial will be private.