Joseph Mangano

Where the Deer Wander
Last summer Joseph Mangano went on a fishing excursion in Northern Canada, staying on a remote island without running water or electricity. Kathy Mangano, his wife of 33 years, did not go along. "What woman would be dumb enough to go on a trip like that?" said Mrs. Mangano, who did not share her husband's love of "back-to-nature survival stuff."

But Mr. Mangano, a software engineer, was also very sociable.

"Everybody who knows him calls him his best friend," said Tony Alaimo, a colleague at Marsh & McLennan, still lapsing into the present tense.

When Mr. Alaimo was out of work for 12 weeks while recovering from a heart attack, Mr. Mangano called him every day.

Earlier this year, the Manganos moved to Jackson Township, N.J., into what his wife described as their "dream house."

It has a large yard, where deer sometimes wander, and an extended driveway that doubles as a basketball court.

Mr. Mangano, 53, had planned to install his model train set in the basement. He also had a room built for a pool table, but he never got around to buying it.

"Now the room is sitting there," his wife said, "and I can't stand to go down there."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 1, 2001.


Joseph Mangano, 53, an accomplished angler

Joseph Mangano and his fishing partner, Gary Wood, spent years researching ways to catch walleye, a fish known to be a strong fighter that stays deep in the water.

The olive-green fish, flecked with gold, would not take their bait. But this summer, Mr. Mangano, 53, took a fishing vacation to a remote area in northern Canada and caught hundreds of walleye.

"He went from not catching any walleye to catching more than 50 a day," said Wood. "And it's a tricky fish to catch."

Wood, of Madison, Wis., did not accompany Mr. Mangano on that trip, but often vacationed with him in Canada. An assistant vice president for Marsh & McLennan, Mr. Mangano was working on the 95th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 when the first hijacked plane struck the building.

Mr. Mangano, a software analyst, worked for the company for 32 years.

About seven months ago, Mr. Mangano moved from Lakewood to his dream home in Jackson with his wife of 33 years, Kathy. Around the same time, Mr. Mangano was transferred from his company's Princeton office to the World Trade Center.

Kathy Mangano said her husband was a devoted father who opened his home to about 20 foster children over the years.

The Sunday before the attacks, he took his daughter, Lisa, a teacher, clothes shopping for the new school year.

"I told him, you take your kids back-to-school shopping when they are students, not (when they are) the teacher," said Kathy Mangano. "He took her and bought her all these clothes and said, 'Just don't tell your mom how much money we spent.' He was the best dad you could imagine."

Along with fishing, Mr. Mangano was enthralled with Lionel toy trains and was about to set up his display in his new home, his wife said.

Mr. Mangano was born in Bayonne and grew up in Carteret, where he graduated from high school. He received his degree from Pace University in New York City.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, 935 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Mangano is survived by a son, Michael of Wilkes Barre, Pa.; a daughter, Lisa of Bayville; his parents, Joseph and Hattie of Port Charlotte, Fla.; a brother, Philip of North Carolina, and a sister, Rose Marie Hoesley of Rockaway.

Donations can be made to the Joseph Mangano Memorial Fund, c/o Anthony Alaimo, 16 Kentucky Way, Freehold 07728.