Deane Jaeger
I was first introduced to Emanuel Casella when my sister brought him home to meet our parents. I remember the days leading up to this meeting and we all were anxious to meet the man my sister said she was going to marry. Who was this man who swept Joan off her feet? Manny was charming and polite and immediately grew favor with my parents. He was everything Joan said he was and more. Manny drove a fancy convertible car and I remember one time I was able to go with them to a drive-in movie and we watched the movie with the top down….now that was cool!!
They were married in August of 1962 and it was quite a wedding. Manny looked so handsome in his suit and little did anyone know that they would spend almost 50 years together and be blessed with four lovely children. Patti was the first born and I remember going to the hospital to see the new baby. Manny was so nervous and excited to be a father and he did not know how to hold his little daughter. He was literally jumping up and down with excitement as visitors came into to see the baby. Both he and Joan made a beautiful pair of new parents.
Manny had a profound influence on my life and little did I know at the time but he was shaping my future career. I still had a hard time forgiving him for talking my sister away. She was the fasted runner in the neighborhood and I could always count on her to push me in my soapbox derby racing car. We won every race the neighborhood had because Joan would push me faster than anyone else. As I entered my teenage rebellious years I dreaded when Manny and Joan would come to visit for dinner. It was 1963 and the Beatles and long hair were in vogue and I wanted to shun the traditional crew cut. I would hide out or make sure I was visiting a friend when Manny and Joan came for dinner. Manny was an excellent barber with his own barber shop and when they came to visit my mom would tell Manny to “trim” my hair which meant to give me a crew cut. Oh how I hated that!!
Manny had many other talents including guitar playing and song writing. I remember one song in particular that he wrote. He even went into NYC to record it on a record. It was a take-off on a popular dance of the day and when he played the record for my parents they just rolled their eyes but I really liked the sound and his guitar playing. But the real talent that help shape my future career was his knowledge of electronics and his ability to fix TVs and radios. Back when TVs had tubes, I would sit for hours working with Manny and his tube testing machine. It was quite complicated but he worked with me and showed me how to read the manuals, calibrate the tester and test the various tubes. To me this was the beginning of my love of engineering. If it was not for Manny and introducing me to this I would never have become an engineer. In addition he introduced me to the world of shortwave ham radios, CB’s and radio controlled cars. It was a world I found fascinating and even during our last visit this past December we talked about those days and the impact he had on my life and career.
Manny and Joan eventually moved to Florida where he pursued a career in law enforcement and continued to develop his entrepreneurial spirit. This is where he again opened my eyes to another world: the world of running your own business and financial investing. Whether it was in real estate or US treasury bonds or the stock market, he showed me the benefits of long term investing with the goal of financial independence. His message and philosophy of financial independence stays with me today and I gladly share with all to whom I come in contact.
Joan and Manny are finally together. Their love for each other was evident in all my conversations with Manny. We can be happy to know they are reunited to spend the rest of eternity together. It is never easy to lose a loved one but hopefully we all can take some comfort in the love these two had for each other as we use their love to guide our lives going forward
