Emanuel Dettori

Happy, resilient, and complex – those are the words his children used to describe Emanuel “Manny” Dettori of Palm City, FL. Surrounded by family, he departed this life on July 21, 2024, at Treasure Coast Hospice.

Manny was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1933, the only child of Salvatore and Anna (née Grande) Dettori. Born in Teaneck, NJ, he spent his first four years in Englewood, NJ. But in 1937, the family moved to Greenwich, CT, where Manny attended school and graduated in 1953 from Greenwich High School.

Manny credited a couple of high school friends who went to West Virginia University (WVU) the previous year with influencing his decision to attend the college in Morgantown, WV. Enrolling at WVU began a lasting love affair with the university, as he was an immensely proud Mountaineer for the rest of his life. He attended WVU until 1957, when he enlisted in the United States Navy. After an honorable discharge in 1959 from his military duty, he returned to WVU and finished his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1963. He said he always appreciated the second chance WVU gave him to earn his degree.

 It was during his first stint at WVU that he met the love of his life, Helen Marie Dalton. He asked a mutual friend about Helen - introductions were made and a courtship ensued. He left for boot camp, and when he returned, Manny and Helen were married on April 27, 1957. They had fond memories of a beautiful, sunny, wedding day with the Dalton homestead apple tree in glorious full blossom. Then the couple was off to Chincoteague Naval Air Station, where they began their life together. They were married 64 years before Helen’s death in 2021.

 After graduating from WVU, Manny worked in the university’s admissions office. But the next year he began a career in the railroad industry that would span 30 years. His first job was as a track maintenance engineer with the B&O Railroad, based in Grafton, then Baltimore. They returned to West Virginia, and he later worked for the Lehigh-Hudson River (Short Line) Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and finally the Reading Railroad. He joked that he had worked for all four of the railroads featured in the board game Monopoly.

The Reading Railroad became the Consolidated Railroad Corporation (Conrail) in 1976, and during this time, Manny developed a consolidated track maintenance training program for the railroad that led to reduced derailments. His training program gathered the best practices from across the railroad industry, and he initially traveled throughout Conrail’s territory delivering the new information and training others to provide the instruction. He moved to South Windsor, CT, in 1979 where he managed the training program, setting up schools throughout the Conrail territory. This required a lot of airline travel, so much so, he was known by name at many airports. 

Manny retired from Conrail in 1994, and after Helen retired in 1999, they moved to Palm City, FL. For several years after retirement, they were football season-ticket holders for the Mountaineers, and he traveled to many WVU away games. He was an eclectic fan of many sports and enjoyed watching college basketball, tennis, and even hockey on TV. He liked international travel, landscaping, and cooking. He also greatly enjoyed fine dining experiences. His family says, when you needed help, he was always there.

 Manny is survived by his children, Jeff Dettori of Sabattus, ME; Kim Dettori (Steve Baird) of Stuart, FL.; and Mark Dettori (Lorie Wyant) of Bridgeport, WV; his grandchildren, Matthew Dettori of Lewiston, ME; Sean Dettori and Shannon Dettori of Bridgeport, WV.

 Manny was cremated at his request. A graveside memorial service will be held later at Nicholson Cemetery in Morgantown, WV.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Manny’s memory to the WVU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, or Helping People Succeed of Stuart, FL.