Henry R. Maniace

Waltham - Mr. Henry R. Maniace, Sr.,a lifelong Waltham resident and retired president of New England Concrete Pipe Corp., in Newton, Mass who rose from company clerk to become its leader, died Friday March 11, 2011 at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He was 86.

One of 10 children of Sicilian immigrant parents, Joseph and Theresa (DiStefano) Maniace, Mr. Maniace embodied the American success story. A self-made man, under his leadership his company, the oldest and largest manufacturer of concrete pipe in New England and New York – became one of the first to make use of pre-stressed concrete in modern building construction. Its products went into projects including the construction of Boston City Hall, the original Patriots Stadium in Foxboro, and the Worcester parking garage, at the time the world’s largest parking structure.

Following World War II, unsure of his future, on the advice of an employment counselor, Mr. Maniace applied for an entry-level position at New England Concrete Pipe Corp. at its Needham location, a decision that took him from clerk to superintendent to treasurer and ultimately to president and owner of a business started by a group of Yankee businessmen in the 1920’s.

Born August 23, 1924, in Waltham, Henry was the second youngest in his large Italian family. His father died when Henry was seven years old. After graduating from Waltham High School in 1942, he served in the US Navy on the SS Vulcan as a chief petty officer and saw action in the Mediterranean. Before the war’s end he married his childhood sweetheart, a young Irish girl, Gertrude Mary Curtin, whom he met through a mutual friend in high school. At the time of her death in 2008, the couple had been married 63 years. Together they raised three children.

In his early years at NECP, after an eight-hour workday, Mr. Maniace traveled from Newton to Boston to attend evening classes on the GI Bill, earning a business degree from Bentley College with high honors. Years later, Dr. Gregory H. Adamian, a future president of the college, recognized Mr. Maniace’s scholarly achievements and his business acumen in the school’s alumni magazine. In an interview, when asked his formula for business success, Mr. Maniace replied with a motto he lived by – “You have to grab opportunity by the scruff of the neck.”

Mr. Maniace was a tough businessman but as charming as he was tough, with a bigger-than-life personality that filled a room. He had a great sense of humor, often laughing the loudest at his own funny stories. And though short in stature, he more than made up for it with a commanding presence. There was never any doubt who was in charge when Henry was in the office conducting business or when involved in negotiating labor contracts with the teamsters union who worked at NECP. He was tough but always fair and earned the respect of his employees.

A committed family man, he adored his wife, his children and his grandchild. One February day he drove in a blizzard from Waltham to Boston to buy Mrs. Maniace an anniversary present. With his children he stressed education, and all of them became successful – one in dentistry, another in education, and a third in business.

Well respected in the community, Mr. Maniace was an active member and past commander of the Waltham American Legion Post 156 and past chairman of the board of the American Concrete Pipe Association. He was also active in the Italian American Charitable Organization and Catholic Charities.

Henry is survived by his children, H. Richard Maniace, Jr of Boston, Deborah Ann Ireland of Concord, and Patricia A. Griffin and her husband John of Wakefield, RI.; his granddaughter, Brenna Ireland, and many nieces and nephews.

He was also the brother of the late Charles Maniace, Anthony Maniace, Sarah Tranchita, Camelia DeVecchio, Josephine Ricci, Helen Salamone, Eleanor DiGregorio, Virginia Maniace, and Edith Creonte.

Family and friends will honor and remember Henry’s life by gathering for visitation in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte.20), Waltham on Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. before leaving in procession to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham.

Memorial donations may be made to The American Heart Association, 20 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.