Daniel Antonio Manichello's Obituary
Daniel Manichello, 44, of Kingston, Massachusetts succumbed to a seven-year battle with cancer in Frankfurt, Germany on December 26, 2022. He was in Germany for special metastatic cancer treatments accompanied by his mother, Maria Isabel Cordova, an uncle, Gonzalo Cordova and his wife Deborah, and Daniel’s spouse, Felicia Foster, also of Kingston.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Frances de Sales Church on Miami Beach on Monday, January 23rd, 2023, at 12pm. A reception will follow.
Daniel was a transportation Planner-Analyst with Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the ‘T’ in Boston since early Spring, 2022. Prior to that he worked with Broward County Transit in Florida and Transdev North America, a French multinational headquartered in Chicago. He had a passion for a career in transportation, worked tirelessly to achieve his positions in the field and had earned a certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners. Daniel earned a Master’s degree from Cornell University in City & Regional Planning and had also completed all the requirements for a Master’s in International Affairs at the University of Miami. His Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science came from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 2001.
Born in New York City, 23rd September 1978, to Maria Isabel Cordova, a commercial photo stylist and Richard Manichello, an editor, producer-director with CBS at the time, Danny spent his early years on Manhattan’s Westside. A sister, Dariane Bru, was born fifteen months after Danny and the family of four moved to a loft in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Dariane died in 2002 after a long struggle with Lupus.
Because of his mom’s Cuban origin and heritage, Danny and his sister had full fluency in Spanish. He had a working proficiency in French and Italian. Daniel grew up between Key Biscayne, New York, and Baltimore where his stepmother, Margo Halle is from with other close family in Pennsylvania. Daniel was very close to his grandparents, Efren and Lilia Cordova, and spent frequent interludes visiting them in Geneva, Switzerland and Sao Paulo, Brazil. He graduated from Coral Gables High School in Miami in 1997 and entered the University of Florida that Fall. Daniel was a passionate ‘Gator’ and watching college football was a pastime.
After graduating from Florida, Daniel took an internship with the United States’ Mission to the European Union, posted in Brussels. Back in the States, he was a trader with BNPParibas Private Bank in Miami and held a General Securities Representative license.
European futbol was his passion from an early age. He played ‘the beautiful game’ in Junior and Senior High School. His favorite soccer team was Liverpool F.C. and he would be known to sing ‘You Will Never Walk Alone’ the team’s iconic chant not missing an early weekend match. He rallied friends and family around the World Cup and sent out friendly competition brackets every four years. In fact, he attended the World Cup in both 1994 and 1998 and met late Brazilian soccer star Pele on multiple occasions.
An intellectual, Daniel had a relentless appetite for knowledge and was a veracious reader. Higher education, for Danny, was all about academics, high grades, and intense studies. Sports would become his recreation: skiing, cycling, tennis, and golf. He was an avid climber too, from the High Peaks in The Adirondacks of New York to the Swiss Alps. Daniel always loved nature and was drawn to the peaceful setting of the mountains.
Daniel’s diverse upbringing and travels to Europe and Latin America helped shape his personality and interest in different cultures. People often described him as a ‘man of the world’ but his humble nature, wit and genuine concern for others defined him as a true gentleman.
In 2014, Daniel met Felicia Anne Foster in Miami where the two of them fell in love at first site. This relationship would change their lives forever. They moved to NYC together where they both enjoyed city life as well weekend respites in the Northeast. They enjoyed extensive travels together, jazz clubs, comedy shows, music and international cuisine. Their corgi dog ‘Lucca’ was their first love as parents.
It was in NYC that Daniel was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, underwent surgery, and began chemotherapy at Beth Israel Hospital. But Daniel continued life ¾his way. Through all the cancer treatments he would go back to school, earn a master’s degree (Cornell), have a career, marry Felicia Foster in 2020, move back to Miami Beach, welcome a son, Domenico, in 2021, and finally buy a home in Kingston. And all while fighting cancer. The MBTA position enabled Daniel’s cancer treatments to come under medical care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2022.
It was Daniel’s unwavering commitment to his family that motivated him to keep going, keep living and striving forward amidst such challenging circumstances. His Catholic faith grew stronger over the years and in the final months of his life he was immensely close to God. It was his personal faith that strengthened him and gave him hope.
Daniel was such a proud father. He treasured every moment he spent with his son during the first year of his life. It was his biggest accomplishment and his legacy.
By December of 2022, however, Daniel was seeking an innovative, yet minimally invasive, protocol at University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Daniel’s treatments in Frankfurt proved to be too little-too late and he died on December 26th.
The family thought it would be appropriate for charitable contributions to be gifted to Daniel’s one-year-old son, Domenico D. Manichello’s college fund. Checks can be made payable to Domenico D. Manichello and mailed to Richard Manichello, 3429 Woodberry Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211.
Alternatively, you can donate to First Descents, an organization that provides outdoor adventures for young adults impacted by cancer. Daniel went on a kayaking trip in Montana with First Descents and was inspired by other courageous cancer survivors. https://firstdescents.org/get-involved/donate/
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