The warmth of Joe Maniaci draws you in as soon as you meet him. The strong handshake, the cheerful smile and the twinkling eyes tell the story of a man who has lived a full life and is happy to be able to give back to others. Fortunately for St. Louis Center, Joe Maniaci is a man who has “given back” a great deal .
Joe was born on March 21, 1946 in Terrasini, Sicily at the end of WWII, and came to the United States when he was eight years old; arriving in Detroit, MI in 1954. From there, he tells the story of growing up on the Eastside of Detroit.
“I started grade school at Guyton Elementary School, and graduated from St. Martin’s in 1965. That’s where I met my lovely wife, Mary Jane, and we were the campus couple. We graduated together, and then I went into the service. I was a Military Policeman in the Army in Fairbanks, AK, where we had two months of summer, and the rest was pretty cold. Thankfully, she waited for me and I got out when I was 22. Mary Jane and I were married on September 7, 1968, and we’ve been married now for 53 years.”
Together they’ve had three children. Their oldest daughter is Lisa, followed by their son John, and daughter Kari. Along with their children, they now have eight grandchildren.
Joe learned the tube bending trade in high school while working at A&B Tube Benders. After returning from the service, he went to work for Warren Tube where he became the General Manager. In 1978 he decided to open his own business, called Troy Tube and Mfg. Co., “And I’ve been doing it now for 43 years and it’s still going strong to this day” said Joe. “I had a medical procedure done in 2018, and then a couple of setbacks, so I finally had to give it up full-time. But I still go in once in a while for a couple of hours and check on the place to make sure things are running properly.” Joe’s son John and his two daughters Lisa and Kari work there, along with both son-in-laws and his daughter-in-law. His nieces, nephews, and several grandchildren also work there, so it remains a family business.
I support St. Louis Center with my heart and soul, and we are happy to do what we can to help.”
Joe tells how he became involved with St. Louis Center and the Dad and Lad Golf Outing. “Jack Tocco, Sr. put me on a bus one day and said, ‘Come with me, I want to show you St. Louis Center.’ So of course, I went and I fell in love with the place. After that, we felt we needed to do something. Along with Mike Chirco and Sam Cottone, we started the Dad and Lad Outing and it’s been going great now for 24 years. We’ve been raising funds to help the residents at the Center and will continue to do so as long as possible.”
