Christopher P. Manzi, 56, of North Haven passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, October 31st, 2021, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Deborah Cascio Manzi. Christopher was born in New Haven on September 26th, 1965 and was the son of Carmela “Connie” Falanga Manzi and the late Nicholas G. Manzi. A graduate of North Haven High School, Christopher had worked as an exterminator for Fox Pest Control. He was a huge animal lover especially for cats and enjoyed feeding the birds. Christopher was very nostalgic and enjoyed watching old movies on the TCM channel. He adored his father who passed away three weeks ago and missed him dearly. Besides his wife and mother, Christopher is survived by a daughter Erika Manzi and was looking forward to the birth of her first child in six months. Also survived by his brother Nicholas Manzi (Chrissy); a sister Lisa Manzi; Erika’s fiancé Brian; stepchildren Jessica Ryan (Dennis) and Matthew Shaw (Lisa); his mother-in-law Lorraine Mikolinski; nephews Nicholas and Matthew Manzi; niece LeAnn Manzi and step grandchildren Katie, Cameron, Brendan and Carly Ryan.
Family and friends are invited to go directly to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish at St. Barnabas Church, 44 Washington Avenue, North Haven on Friday afternoon, November 5th at 12:00 to attend a Mass of Christian burial and are also invited to attend the committal service immediately following in the All Saints Mausoleum.
I was close friends with Chris in my teens. We enjoyed many mutual interests, especially music and went to several concerts together. I sort of lost touch with Chris regrettably. He was a loyal friend, I am sorry he left without physically seeing his grandchild, that saddens me, but I believe he will be at the Family Table in Heaven and will not miss anything. I hope his family takes some comfort in that thought. He is reunited, even unexpectedly, with his Father. May God rest his soul and Bless his family.
I am truly lost for words. I’ve only known Chris for such a short time, he was such a special person. Kind, generous, just a wonderful man. When I found out about the news unexpectedly, I was and I’m truly upset.. full of sorrow. I wish I have known Chris longer. I pray for his family, and may he rest in peace.
I am so sorry to hear of both Chrissy and Mr. Manzi (Nick’s) passing. I grew up with them living across the street from the Amendola’s. Very sorry so much loss for a wonderful family.
I worked with Chris and Debbie at Clintonville Manor years ago….so sorry to hear of his unexpected passing….my sincere sympathy to all🙏
Chris, may you rest in peace! Life is a journey and yours was a short one, before your elders, like your uncle Ralph. I’ll always remember with pleasure the daily commuting we did together for a few months to Norwalk High School, where I used to teach in the early eighties! It was fun going to school together!
It’s always sad to see younger people go; but we are all bound towards that final moment here on Earth and this occurrence serves the purpose of reminding us of that irrevocable truth that we are mortals and, as Christians, we are but pilgrims here on Earth. May the merciful Lord look on the Manzi family and alleviate the pain of the double loss that they suffered in one single month! May God bless and protect you all!
I saw Christopher (generally called Chris) a little more than a month ago at his father’s funeral. I had not seen him in a long time. We shook hands and talked briefly about what I had mentioned during my eulogy for his father. He was about two years old when I first met him in 1968, when my sisters, Maria and Rosanna, and I arrived from Rome to New York JFK airport and got into the car with his mom and dad, on the way to Connecticut. I sat in the middle of the front row of his parents’ Pontiac LeMans, which his father would later donate to me while I was in medical school. I sat with him on my lap. It was a bit crowded, of course, and he was a very active and healthy little boy. It was quite enjoyable to interact with my first nephew. He was a very smart child and became a clearly very bright person. Even at that young age of 2-3, he seemed to know all the streets in New Haven and East Haven. So, if his mother drove to a different place than where he wanted to go to (like a toy store; he collected small cars), he would immediately recognize that he was being taken elsewhere. Rather amazing, I think. During our conversation, which unfortunately turned out to be our last, I told him that, as soon as we got in the car at JFK, he began to point to me and call me “man”. For the next several months, he always called me that. He said he had never heard of that anecdote, and he smiled and I think he found some pleasure in hearing about something new and from a long time ago. My schooling and work career over many years took me to live in distant places along the East Coast, from Worcester, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami again, then Providence and finally Boston and Florida once again. Hence, I saw him only occasionally. But, I do remember him at several holiday dinners and how he enjoyed helping his young daughter drive a really fancy toy car on the sidewalk near his parents’ home. He loved it. He had excellent communication skills, and was able to bond with people in a way that very few can. My wife, Mirella, works for a company where they often look for individuals with great speaking abilities. She was also at the funeral for his father and was struck by the distinctive timber of Chris’ voice. She thought he could have easily been a radio announcer if he had wanted to. So, overall and because of these many qualities, I am not surprised that so many people from his work place attended his funeral. We are very grateful to his company for making that possible on a work day, and we take pleasure in knowing that he was well liked and appreciated by so many. He shall be missed by his family and friends, and we are all in shock and pain for a life that ended way too early. Both Mirella were pleased to see him one more time. May he rest in peace.
I’m so sorry Erica. I will say a prayer for him.