Mother and son Marjorie and Gerald Mannion named as victims of Ōtaika car crash

A Northland Lions club is paying tribute to a dedicated member regarded as an “all-round good guy” who died in a fiery car crash along with his mother south of Whangarei.

Marjorie Julia Cranstoun Mannion, 86, and Gerald De Vere Mannion, 64, died in the single-vehicle crash last Tuesday.

Their car went down a bank and smashed into a tree, bursting into flames on Ōtaika Valley Rd.

A tribute for Gerald Mannion posted by the Tangihua Lions and Lodge and Maungakaramea Lions Club, where he was secretary and chairman, called him a “great friend and all round good guy”.

“We are truly at a loss for words,” the tribute read.

“He worked tirelessly in both roles and will leave a huge void. He had an enormous amount of information stored... the best stories of a misspent youth and when he started a story with 4 or 5 words followed by a little chuckle, you knew it was a goodie.

“Extremely caring of others, he’d drop anything to help, no questions asked.”

The tribute said he would be “sorely missed” at the club.

Others who knew Mannion added their memories in the comments of the post, saying he was a “committed community man”.

“Gerald certainly made an impression on all of those he met,” one person wrote.

Gerald Mannion died alongside his mother Marjorie Mannion in a crash at Otaika last week. Photo / Northern Advocate

“He was such a character and an asset to the community,” another said.

“I only met Gerald a handful of times but he had such a funny wit and just seemed like an all-around great guy with huge community spirit,” another person wrote.

He was a “proud father” to his three children, one of whom worked alongside him at the Lions Club according to Facebook. Other comments described him as a “doting husband” to his wife Davina.

The single-vehicle crash on Ōtaika Valley Rd was reported at 12.20am, police said in a statement.

“The vehicle involved has gone down a bank before hitting a tree and setting alight.

“Sadly, on emergency services arriving at the scene, both occupants have been located deceased.”