Charles 'Chuck' Maniscalco: Obituary

EVANSTON, IL (from Donnellan Family Funeral Services) — Charles "Chuck" Maniscalco, age 65, of Winnetka and Chicago, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the beloved husband of Aimee Anderson; loving father of Jamey (Stacey) Maniscalco and Ryan (fiancee Jacqueline Fegan) Maniscalco; proud Granddad of Katherine Maniscalco; dear brother of Angela (Robert) Thompson and the late Donna (Bob) Selak.

Chuck was born in July 1953 in Cleveland, OH to Jim and Connie Maniscalco. He attended Bowling Green State University where he earned his undergraduate degree and a Master's degree in Experimental Psychology. After accepting a job with the Quaker Oats Company, Chuck moved to Chicago, where he met his wife, Valerie. The couple had two sons, Jamey and Ryan.

Chuck began his career with Quaker in the market research department and progressed rapidly through the organization, culminating with his role as CEO of Pepsico's Quaker - Tropicana - Gatorade division in 2006, serving in that role until his retirement in 2008.

After leaving the Pepsico organization, Chuck went on to become the CEO of Seventh Generation in Vermont and later left the business world in 2011 to join Champlain College's Strategic Initiatives team. Upon his return to Chicago in 2015, Chuck met his current wife, Aimee, and continued to grow his consulting firm, Manifest Leadership. The company worked with clients both in the for-profit and non-profit space.

Chuck lived his life purposefully and tenaciously, maximizing every minute. A man of many passions, Chuck spent countless hours running, playing the guitar and singing, and tackling the daily challenge of the NY Times crossword puzzle.

While many choose running as an effective way to stay fit, Chuck's love of the sport was far deeper than that. He was no "weekend warrior" when it came to running - it permeated his daily life, vacations, and holidays. Whether it was his morning runs on the Chicago lakefront, or exploring a new city on the first day of a vacation, running was always the first thing on his long checklist for the day. He also eagerly anticipated his weekly long Saturday runs with his friend Julian, and found peace, clarity of mind, and stress relief from the camaraderie and the chance to 'tune out' the distractions of daily life.

In his little free time, music was a true pleasure. Chuck would pick up a guitar, pluck some tunes, and sing along. However, this passion for guitar was much deeper. Chuck loved not only the beauty that could be created using a few pieces of wood and metal strings, but he loved the challenges inherent in the process of creating music. He spent long hours honing his skills, learning new and technically challenging songs, and sharing his love of guitar with his sons and friends. Not only did Chuck enjoy creating music, he also loved listening to live music. That love took him to small venues where he could make a personal connection with talented musicians. He spent many wonderful nights exploring Chicago's vibrant music scene with his friends Tom and Mark and his sons. And no matter how late the night, no morning was complete without getting up at dawn and eagerly awaiting the delivery of the NY Times, so he could devour the day's current events and tackle the crossword puzzle .

In everything Chuck did, he showed a natural curiosity that fueled a desire to continually broaden his intellectual horizons. Chuck was an interested person which made him an interesting person.

And - true to his character - he shared his passions with others with eagerness, commitment and mentorship by engaging with everyone in his life in an honest and meaningful way.

These qualities helped drive Chuck's astounding professional life. Throughout his career, Chuck was always focused on impacting those around him in a meaningful and positive way. He was extremely proud of and deeply gratified by his role in helping people develop into authentic, genuine, humble leaders. Chuck wanted to "make a difference, one person at a time." His success in this effort is highlighted not only by the great performance of the companies he was a part of, but more importantly was showcased by the multitude of colleagues who have reached out to Chuck recently to share the impact he had on their lives, in some cases decades later. The inspirational outpouring of appreciation and support was proof to all who witnessed it that Chuck, who modestly would say his influence was minor and supplemental, changed many people's lives with his intellect, ability and generosity.

In no case is Chuck's ability to shape authentic leaders more obvious than in his sons. Chuck was deeply proud of and gratified by the wonderful, accomplished young men his sons - Jamey and Ryan - have become. Ryan is currently a Cyber Defense Analyst with the CME Group in Chicago, and Jamey is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Regis University in Denver. More than their professional accomplishments, Chuck was proud of his sons' character, integrity, and maturity. While he would be reticent to take credit for who they have become, he taught his sons through his daily example.

How to make good decisions, even when it is not easy.

How to think of others first and themselves second. He taught them the value of hard work and to follow their passions, and to build their strengths into towering strengths. And he taught them to be compassionate and kind, even in times of challenge and adversity.

It was also no secret that Chuck found immeasurable joy in getting to know his daughter-in-law, Stacey, and daughter-in-law to be, Jacqueline. In his trademark fashion, he was deeply interested and involved in helping them navigate their professional lives and continue to grow their careers in meaningful ways. Chuck embraced them from the day they first met and was intensely proud to call them his family.

Chuck and his sisters Angela and Donna were taught at an early age that family was most important. They lived within walking distance to aunts, uncles, cousins and their grandparents who were Italian immigrants. In an Italian family you are obligated to do better than those who came before you. In this Chuck excelled, achieving more than his parents and grandparents could have imagined. Of course, he did not do this in isolation, and Chuck always recognized how his mother's unconditional love allowed him to take risks in his personal and professional life, knowing she would always be there for him; while his father's high expectations pushed him to achieve and accomplish, taking personal accountability to the highest levels.

Soon after Chuck moved back to Chicago in 2015, he met his wife Aimee. They immediately connected over their shared sense of humor and their love for the simple pleasures in life. Chuck and Aimee were married only 18 days after he received his cancer diagnosis and made a commitment to continue to live life to the fullest and enjoy the things they loved including travel, sipping a drink on their front porch while listening to music, and talking long walks with their beloved dog, Addie.

In his final two years, nothing brought Chuck more joy than spending time with his granddaughter Kate. Whether it was a walk in the park, a day at the aquarium, or just hanging out and singing on his condo floor, his time with Kate was sacred. When they were together, he wasn't an executive or a patient or sick, he was only Granddad.

Of course, Chuck turned his personal cancer diagnosis into a way to help others. As he worked hard to fight this relentless disease in his own body, he was tireless in his efforts to improve the lives of others fighting cancer. He spent his final years as a vocal proponent of cancer research funding, working with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Institute of Comprehensive Cancer Care. He was a frequent speaker at symposia and fund-raising events and joined the Lurie team in Washington, DC to advocate for additional funding with Congress. He was acknowledged by the ACS as an "ImpactMaker" in 2018.

Chuck lived a rich, purpose filled, and meaningful life, however, in the end he was dealt a difficult hand: metastatic lung cancer. In his own words, he was "the healthiest sixty-something person I knew;" he did not smoke, he ate healthy, and he exercised daily. Sometimes life is just unfair.

Although tragic, Chuck's diagnosis opened the door for him to improve the lives of countless individuals fighting cancer, and it is fitting that a man who has spent his life giving to others continued to do so until his final breath.

Visitation: Sunday March 24th, 2019, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Boulevard, at Old Orchard Road, Skokie, Illinois 60077.

In lieu of flowers: Please make donations to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Gifts may also be mailed to:

Northwestern Memorial Foundation,

541 North Fairbanks Court, Suite 800,

Chicago, Illinois 60611.

Please make the check payable to "NM Foundation" and include "In support of Lung OncoSET" in the memo line.

Info: 847-675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com.