José Antonio Mantilla, 65, of Elm Grove, WI and Hernando, FL peacefully went to his eternal home on March 3, 2022, after a hard-fought battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
José was born on October 25, 1956, to Félix and Delores Mantilla in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. He lived in Puerto Rico and Milwaukee as a child and graduated from Messmer High School. After graduation, José enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he dutifully served. When his stint with the Marines ended, José returned to Milwaukee and worked for Master Lock Company and Snap-On Tools, ultimately becoming a General Foreman. While working in the factory, he also went to school full-time and served as Mr. Mom, raising Tonya and José II.
All this work culminated in José receiving his BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also earned an executive sales management certification from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
He then began his long and illustrious career in banking working at Firstar (now USBank) where he became a Cash Management Officer and stayed in that role during his time with BancOne in Cincinnati. Jose was a certified treasury professional and a promotion to Vice President Treasury Management Services brought José back to Milwaukee with M&I Corporation. KeyBank in Cleveland then brought José on as Senior Vice President Global Treasury Management. His passion for community banking and empowering communities brought him back to Milwaukee to assume the role of President and CEO of Legacy Bank and later North Milwaukee State Bank. He finished his career as CEO and President of Legacy Redevelopment Corporation.
José was widely respected by the financial community and will be missed by all who knew him and called him friend, colleague, and mentor.
A Gathering will be held at the Becker Ritter Funeral Home, 14075 W. North Avenue, Brookfield, WI 53005, on March 26, 2022, at 11 a.m. and a Celebration of Life will occur at Noon. Masks and social distancing are requested.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:
Legacy Redevelopment Memorial Fund
note: Jose Mantilla Memorial Fund
Associated Bank Acct number: 2915197244
1301 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Milwaukee, WI. 53212
Lastly, another way to remember José would be to patronize the following businesses that received much needed financial support from Legacy because of José’s belief in them, namely, ush Popcorn, Funky Fresh Spring Rolls and Buffalo Boss Milwaukee.
