Marquette County Register of Deeds retires Friday

MARQUETTE — An elected official in Marquette County with more than a quarter century of public service behind her is calling it a career.

Patricia Manley has served as the Marquette County Register of Deeds since January 1989. Her current four-year term lasts through the end of 2016, but she’s decided to retire from office before then. Friday will be her final day on the job.

“I’ve had some wonderful years here and been very happy and proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Manley said. “I’m at that time in my life, I want to just relax, enjoy my grandchildren, do a little bit of volunteer work and do some traveling.”

The register’s office has to keep copies of all property-related documents in a county, like mortgages and land surveys in addition to deeds. County treasurers and others depend on information from the register to compile the tax rolls every year.

“This office tells you how the economy is in Marquette County,” Manley added. “We can tell by the deeds that are coming through, the mortgages that are coming through. Our work has to be right. An error can cause a serious problem for a property owner.”

Manley has been very active professionally. She’s the U.P. district president of the Michigan Association of Registers of Deeds. Manley was also the president of the group’s board of directors at one point.