Above: Mario Lenci (seated, second from right) at The Cannata Report’s 2001 Awards & Charities dinner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Some of the others in the photo include Jerry Blaine of LDI Connect (seated to the right of Mario), Steve Schloss of Leslie Supply (seated to the left of Mario), Bob Goldberg (standing top left), Denda and Bob Shields of Copytronix (top center). The Cannata Report was honoring Bob’s father, Paul, who was suffering from ALS. He died two years later.
I have served our industry for 45 years, and prior to that, I was employed in the copier industry for nine years. During this period, I met some of the most interesting and nicest people. One of those was Mario Lenci.
Many of these people were incredibly kind, decent men and women who became longtime friends. As you can imagine, you go that far back, many of those I admired and enjoyed amazingly close relationships with are no longer with us.
This is what makes our industry quite different. The bonds of friendship are long and deep, and you come to know each person much more than in a normal business environment.
I first met Mario in 1971 when I was a copier salesperson for Saxon in New York City. Mario was the regional service manager for the Northeast. His offices were in the branch office, and we became fast friends.
To say we experienced so much together and separately in the copier world would be a vast understatement. While I went on to work for Canon, Apeco, and Royal, Mario went on to work for SCM, Canon, Sharp, and Mita. When Kyocera acquired Mita, he was executive vice president of sales and finished his career with them.
It is with great sorrow that we report that Mario A. Lenci passed away on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. He was 88 years old. Mario was born and raised in New York City. He later lived in Queens and Bayshore, Long Island, before moving to Chicago. He then returned to Long Island before moving to New Jersey, living in Basking Ridge and Madison before settling down in Monroe Township in 2002.
Mario was a musician who played in several groups. Most recently, he was a member of the Mercer County Community Band. He was also a member of the Regency Car Club, enjoyed boating and golf, and was an avid reader.
His wife, Gertrude, died in 2017 after suffering for many years from various illnesses. She was his partner for 60 years. He loved her and had to watch her suffer for at least a dozen of those years. When his daughter, Denise, was diagnosed with cancer, Mario suffered with her until she passed away six years after her diagnosis in November 2023. At Denise’s funeral service, I knew my friend would not live long. He was dealing with several issues, and the pain was too much.
Mario’s health declined and he did not rebound with his usual strength of character and sense of responsibility to his remaining children and granddaughter. His partner Carol was a rock for him, and he was very grateful for her love and support.
Mario is survived by two children: Frances Lenci and her husband Steven Cosentino of New York City and Paul Lenci and his wife Susan of Monroe Twp.; a granddaughter, Hilary Beckwith of New York City; his son-in-law, Bruce Beckwith of Glen Cove, New York; his partner of six years, Carole LaRosa of Monroe Twp.; and many other extended family members.
We would like to share with you what three of my favorite people in the industry had to say about Mario’s passing.
Above: Mario Lenci (left) with LDI Connect’s Jerry Blaine at The Cannata Report’s Awards & Charities dinner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City in 2002.
“I did know ‘Al’ Lenci quite well. It was many years after I left Saxon that I learned from you when we all connected that his actual given name was Mario. I worked closely with him during my years at Saxon. Like many other senior executives at the company that I grew to know well on my way up the ladder, he was a huge influence and a role model. The difference between him and a lot of the others in the executive structure was his always professional, forward conduct on the job and his credentials as a kind, caring person, just like you. We did have intervals of communication throughout these last years. It was always wonderful to catch up with him. And just like you, I mourn his loss.”
Jerry Blaine, LDI Connect
“I too will miss Mario. In all my dealings with him the highest professional standards were met. We may not have always agreed, but Mario never abandoned fair and equitable treatment of dealers. He truly understood that business differences should be resolved in a business [manner] rather than a legal context. May he rest in peace.”
Bob Goldberg, BTA
“Frank, I know how close you were to Mario, and my heart goes out to you. I did not know Mario well, but I had the good fortune of meeting him a few times. I always enjoyed speaking with Mario. He will certainly be missed. It is a shame to lose another good guy from the industry May the happy times you shared together be a comfort to you at this sad time.”
Larry Weiss, Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office
There are so many others that I know would love to add their comments. Tracking them down will take a considerable amount of time. We hope you understand that Mario was a wonderful person, father, husband, grandfather, brother, son, and friend. He was a good guy who was a fellow New York Giants fan. That was one of the many joys we experienced together. The last time the two of us were together we watched the Giants lose to the Jets in 2023.
