Francis “Frank” Maggio

He is survived by his wife, Mary Claire Maggio; six siblings, Patrick and Cynthia Casserly Maggio, Kevin Michael Maggio, Mary Maggio and Mike Pliner, Dr Paul Maggio and Terry Hay Maggio, Dr Mark Maggio, Dr Matt and Laura Jordison Maggio; his children, Mike Maggio, Courtney Whitaker and fiancé Chuck Alben, and AJ Maggio and Leslie Maggio; and grandchildren, Claire Whitaker, Katherine Maggio, Jack Whitaker, Abigail Maggio, Michael Whitaker, and Austin Maggio.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Irene Maggio, his sister, Rosalie Maggio, and his son-in-law, Robert Whitaker.

Frank was born in Victoria, Texas, to Irene Nash Maggio-whose family had five generations of pioneer roots in Webster County, Iowa-and Paul Maggio, D.D.S., a first-generation American. At the time, his father was stationed in Victoria as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Frank was the second oldest of eight siblings and grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Their family was shaped by strong Italian and Irish Catholic ideals.

Frank was named after his Sicilian grandfather Francesco whose common nickname was Ciccio. Consequently, Ciccio was always called “Ciccio” by the family and friends but “Frank” in the business world. Augie was the friendly school janitor at Corpus Christi where he first met Ciccio. When several more brothers came along, all looking just like Ciccio, Augie gave up trying to remember all the boys' names and simply called the oldest one Ciccio and the rest were “Little Ciccio.” Ciccio was quite an athlete and taught all the Little Ciccios to play baseball, basketball, and football, swim, jog, weightlift, horse-ride, build tree-houses, ice-skate, repair cars, and more. His teachings got passed down the line from the older siblings to the younger ones, and he will always be remembered as the energetic leader of the bunch.

In high school, Frank's curiosity and work ethic were already evident. He restored a Ford Model T, working various jobs to buy spare parts from junkyards-so many, in fact, that the State of Iowa warned him he would need to register as a car dealer if he bought one more junked vehicle. Later in life, he built a 1929 Mercedes-Benz from scratch in under nine months. He played football at St. Edmond High School as a fullback, linebacker, and punter.

Frank majored in Business at the University of St. Thomas, an institution he supported throughout his life. While in St. Paul, he met the love of his life, Mary Claire, who was attending St. Catherine University. They were married for 59 years and created a loving family.

He cherished family reunions at Lake Okoboji, Iowa, and Westhampton Beach, New York, and had a deep love for the outdoors. In fact, a career assessment once suggested he was best suited to be a farmer, even as his professional life took a very different path.

In 1971, Frank began his career as an operations clerk at Merrill Lynch. He quickly rose through the ranks and, within a few years, was asked to open the firm's first Merrill Lynch office in Puerto Rico-his first move outside the Midwest. Frank earned a reputation as a “fixer” of underperforming offices, recruiting top talent, developing financial advisors, and consistently elevating regions into market leaders. He later managed offices in Midland, Texas, during the oil boom and bust of the early 1980s, followed by Houston, Texas, where he turned his branch into one of the top-producing offices at Smith Barney. He finished his career as an Executive Vice President and Manhattan Regional Director in New York City, responsible for 12 branches and over 700 financial consultants, managing Citigroup's largest retail division.

Frank will be remembered for his leadership, determination, generosity, humor, and devotion to God and his family. His presence filled rooms, and his influence will be felt for generations.

A memorial mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Visitation will be held in the narthex (west entrance of the church) at 1:00 PM. Laufersweiler Funeral Home is serving the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left to the American Heart Association.