HON. JOSEPH FRANCIS McMANAMON

1919 - 2014

McMANAMON HON. JOSEPH FRANCIS McMANAMON 95, died peacefully in the early hours of Monday, December 15, 2014, at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe was born at home on September 15, 1919, on W. 115th Street in Cleveland. He was the son of the late Irish immigrants, Joseph and Catherine (Moran) McManamon. The oldest of five, Joe was preceded in death by his brother Fr. John McManamon, O.F.M., (Cleveland) and sister, Mary Clare Mangan (Cleveland); he is survived by his brothers Fr. James McManamon, O.F.M., (Cleveland) and Dr. Thomas V. McManamon (Betty) (Spokane, Washington). In addition, Joe leaves behind his beloved wife, Ann (Aherne) McManamon (Wilmington); his children, Penelope "Penny" Fatora (Dave) (Falling Waters, West Virginia), Thomas J. McManamon (Leslie) (Dublin, Ohio), and Mary Brigid McManamon (Wilmington); seven grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; and eleven nieces and nephews. Joe had a long career in public service. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, serving in the South Pacific. Returning to Cleveland after the War, he worked for the Cleveland Police Department as a homicide detective and an instructor at the Police Academy while attending Cleveland Marshall Law School (now a part of Cleveland State University). Joe and his wife, Ann, opened their own law practice, McManamon & McManamon, which they ran for about twenty years. From 1968 to 1970, Joe served as Cleveland Safety Director, the civilian head of the Police and Fire Departments. Thereafter, he returned to private law practice until 1977, when he was elected to the bench. Joe served first on the Cleveland Municipal Court and then on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, retiring in 1993. Joe was a devout Catholic, attending St. Joseph's Franciscan Seminary in Hinsdale, Illinois, for six years. He received his A.B. from John Carroll University. It was his understanding of Christ's message that led him to join the civil rights movement in the 1960's. In the face of intense bigotry, including death threats, he worked for the election of Carl Stokes as Mayor of Cleveland, the first African-American mayor of a major American city. One of Joe's proudest moments was meeting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Joe was an avid golfer, having begun as a caddy in his tweens at Westwood Country Club. Later in life, he joined Avon Oaks Country Club. Joe took his clubs on vacations and thoroughly enjoyed his time out on the "links." He even accomplished a hole in one in his lifetime. When he retired, he and Ann moved to Pensacola, Florida, where they lived on the first tee for many years. As Joe approached 90 years of age, he and Ann decided to move to Wilmington to be closer to family. He spent many happy days there, among both his family and his new Delaware friends. The viewing will be held MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014, at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Wilmington, Delaware, from 9:30 to 10:45AM. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00AM. Burial will be at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery, also in Wilmington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Joe's memory be made to the St. Vincent DePaul Society of St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception, 6th and Pine Streets, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.