William "Bill" Mangino Sr. passed away Oct. 29, 2018, at The Village in South Windsor with his son, Bill Jr. "BJ," by his side. He was 92 years old.
Bill was born Oct. 19, 1926, in East Hartford to the late James and Philomena "Minnie" (Botticello) Mangino. Bill was the oldest of three children. He is predeceased by his sister, Rose-Marie Foster.
Bill left high school in 1944 to enter the Army. He eventually returned and graduated from East Hartford High School. Bill was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Pacific. Bill received The Asiatic Pacific Medal, Philippine Independence Ribbon and The World War II Victory Medal. He was a member of the 1st Infantry Calvary Division during World War II.
Bill met Jeanne on a blind date March 13, 1949. A year later on Sept. 23, 1950, they were married.
He attended Hillyer College and Ward School of Electronics. After graduating he worked at Dictaphone Corp.
In 1955, Bill and his father, James, built a home in South Windsor. Bill and Jeanne moved into that home a year later and there they raised their four children: Bill Jr. "BJ," Michelle, Myles, and Merle. Bill built "A paradise playground" on Pierce Road for his children and the neighborhood kids to play in. As Jeanne often noted, "Our Pierce Road home and yard were the most wonderful place to bring up children." Bill and Jeanne resided there until 1985.
They packed their bags and moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, to retire for 32 years. Three years ago they moved back to Connecticut to be near their children and grandchildren.
Bill was the owner of Diano Corp. and Mann Industrial. One of Bill's biggest pride and joy was working at General Electric. He worked there until 1982. He would often help and repair parts at Parker X-Ray in East Hartford. Bill's expertise was fixing X-ray equipment. He traveled the world as a private contractor in the industrial X-ray field.
Bill traveled to all eight world regions. Bill would often bring Jeanne on business trips. He traveled out of the country for business until he was in his late 80s. He would often say he went to all 50 states.
Bill and Jeanne would take us on many trips to Disney World. We would also travel the New England states. His all-time favorite place to go to with his family was Old Orchard Beach, Maine. He just loved that cold water! While he was there he ate Maine lobsters every night.
Bill was a member of the Elks and a lifetime member of the American Legion. Bill and Jeanne loved dancing at every function they would attend.
Bill had such a strong desire to be fit. He enjoyed running. He won the Manchester Road Race in the over 85-year-old class three years straight! Bill's last race was the "Celebrate! West Hartford Road Races" 5k in June 2016 at age 89.
Bill loved world and local news. He was an avid reader of many business and economic periodicals. There was rarely a topic of daily discussion amongst family and friends that Bill couldn't contribute to in a thoughtful, respectful, and intelligent way. He never missed "60 Minutes." "When Bill talks, people listen."
Bill is survived by his wife, Jeanne of 68 years; his children, Bill Jr. "BJ" and his wife, Olga, of South Windsor, Michelle and her husband, Aaron, of Portland, Myles and his wife, Tomomi, of New York City, New York, Merle and his girlfriend, Lisa, of Enfield and South Windsor; his sister, Diana Schleis of East Haddam; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He also leaves his great friend and work partner, Ron Spinella. Bill also leaves his adored grandchildren, Joey Snyder, Brie and Alexa Schwartz, Maria Mangino, and Miwa Mangino.
The family would like to thank the dedicated staff and professionals from The Village and the team of caregivers from Beacon Hospice for their hard work and respect of our family.
Bill's motto: "Always believe in your family first, our country second, and all that follows will fall in to place!"
Bill's wishes were to be cremated. A celebration of "Bill, dad and grandpa's life" is planned. Family and friends will be notified.
To sign the online memorial guestbook,visit www.manchesterfh.com
Manchester Funeral Home
142 East Center Street
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 643-6226
Published in Journal Inquirer from Nov. 5 to Nov. 9, 2018
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