Michael J. Mancino, Jr. Jr.

Dateline: Burnt Hills, NY

"and when I die and when I'm dead and gone, they'll be one child born in this world to carry on"

SGT Michael John Mancino Jr. departed this earth on August 7, 2025, at his home, he was 75 years old. The son of the late Michael and Patricia Mancino. He was born November 5, 1949.

Michael was precocious, inquisitive, creative, a free spirit, humorous, risk taker, dreamer, highly motivated, goal oriented, passionate, compassionate, generous, fortunate to live a full life and willing to go outside his comfort zone.

He graduated from Monroe-Woodbury HS in 1968 having served as Senior Class VP.

Michael was drafted into the U.S. Army May 1969 and swore an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution. He served with the 101st Airborne Division in The Nam from October 1969 until November 1970. For 11 months he was a M60 machine gunner/radio operator on a V100 armored vehicle which was the lead vehicle for daily supply convoys to the outer firebases. Michael was awarded many Military Medals and received an Honorable Discharge with a rank of Sergeant E-5 in 1970.

Being a Nam Veteran was a very important part of his legacy and making sacrifices for his country in combat was something he was very proud of along with the brothers and sisters he served with.

He then worked for his Pop and Uncle Carl at Mancino Trucking Co., Inc. for 3 years as a truck driver before attending college.

Michael received his AA Degree from Rockland Community College in 1975 and his BA Degree in Communications; Mass Media from Plattsburgh State University in 1978.

Michael was an avid outdoorsman whose passions included photography, skiing, music, bicycling, kayaking, hiking and sky diving. He loved nature and spent his vacations in areas abundant in beauty.

Through his mother Patricia's inspiration and her photography skills he developed a love of photography and took his first photo when he was 10 years old and continued taking photographs his entire life. Michael enjoyed capturing scenic landscapes, wildlife and was in awe of nature's beauty…"a photograph is a biography of time."

He was an Artist and Communicator who spent 36 years in Broadcast Television as an Independent Producer/Director/Photographer and owner of ComPro Productions. Michael lived and worked in NYC and LA and travelled extensively both nationally and internationally. His shows have been featured by the following; CBS News, CBS Sports, ABC, NBC, PBS Frontline, CNN, Showtime Network Sports, Inside Edition, Extra, Army Football West Point, Chase Manhattan Bank, Port Authority NY-NJ, The Travel Channel, AT&T, Reed Travel Group, USA Network, Arista Records, Bellcore, KCTV, GTE, Cal State University, Roche Labs, Junket Productions, IBM, Maui Productions, Microsoft, and many others.

Michael was a member of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the International Television Association (ITVA).

Michael's last job was with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a live satellite broadcast producer/director, video production professional along with video/photo documentation of natural disasters throughout the United States.

"I saw the worst of nature's wrath and the best of resilient communities of neighbor helping neighbor." Assignments Michael covered included 1994 Northridge, CA earthquake where he set up "The Recovery Channel" an Emergency Educational TV Channel for FEMA. Hurricane's Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. Tornados in IZ, MN, AL. Statewide flooding in Upper Sioux Nation, MN, IA, ND, MN, NY, PA. The Santa Barbara, CA wildfires and President Obama's First Inauguration in 2009 in Washington, DC.

Humbled in his later years as a philanthropist, Michael setup The ComPro Endowment in 2019 at his alma mater Plattsburgh University awarding one Broadcast Major, one Female and one Male Veteran annually. In 2021 he set up the Mountain Lake PBS ComPro Internship Award and also funded three other scholarships annually. Higher education was his pathway into Broadcast Television which changed his life. That is why these scholarships are so meaningful for the recipience's as they pursue their life's path. Michael's most gratifying accomplishments were volunteering and donating to many non-profits, with an emphasis on veteran's affairs, by creating videos and capturing photographs. He truly believed in giving back to his community and was inspired by all the wonderful people he met along the way.

All are welcome to attend a visitation on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, from 10:30am-12:30pm at Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home, 21 Midline Road, Ballston Lake, NY.

A time of sharing remembrances will begin at 12:30pm

Interment with military honors will follow at 2:30pm, at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley, 2 Jefferson Plaza, Poughkeepsie, NY 126011 www.alz.org/hudsonvalley or DAV, 860 Dolwick Drive, Erlanger, KY 41018 www.dav.org