Nicholas Mangione, the owner of Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, is remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur, a beloved family man and one not afraid to give a good, hearty handshake.
He died Nov. 2 at the age of 83 from complications from a stroke, and his funeral Mass was held Thursday at St. Isaac Jogues Roman Catholic Church in Parkville.
“The church held about 700 people, and it was packed,” said Mangione’s son, Sam, one of 10 children and 37 grandchildren.
“It was a beautiful tribute to his life. There was sadness, but there was a lot of joy. He leaves behind a legacy.”
Mangione was born in Little Italy in Baltimore and served in the Navy during World War II.
He was an accountant at a masonry firm after graduating from Baltimore Business College, prompting him to later study engineering and architecture.
In 1950, he married Mary Cuba, who survives him, and started a business, which became known as Mangione Family Enterprises. The company also owns establishments including a chain of Lorien nursing homes, the Pikesville Hilton Inn, Hayfields Country Club and two AM radio stations.
“He was one of those people who when he greeted you, shook your hand, and asked you how you were. He really wanted to know the answer,” said Richard Story, who, as Howard County’s director of the Economic Development Authority, knew Mangione well.
Story said he especially remembered Mangione’s participation in the annual Italian golf tournament at Turf Valley, a fundraiser for Loyola College, where Mangione served on the board of trustees.
“It was his special event — he was always proud of his Italian heritage,” Sam Mangione said.
Carroll County Schools Superintendent Charles Ecker, a Howard county executive in the 1990s, said Mangione was the model businessman and came to commonsense conclusions for any business proposition.
“He did a lot of good things for the county and had the county’s best interest at heart,” he said.
“He was a reasonable business person looking out for business but not at the expense of others.”
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