John and his wife of 61 years, Margarete, both came from modest families where hard work, strong faith, and unwavering honesty were stressed. John caddied to pay his tuition at Boston's Jesuit-run Boston College High School, to which he hitchhiked every school day, graduating in 1950. He then graduated from Boston College in 1954, and enrolled in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Germany, where he met and married his beloved Margarete. After his tour of duty, they returned to the Boston area, where they raised their two daughters. John joined Colonial Funds as an analyst, and he later became CEO and Chairman of the Colonial Group of mutual funds, based in Boston. John and Margarete were well-known philanthropists in the Boston area. John was a Board member of many Catholic organizations, including Boston College and Boston College High School, and the Archdiocese of Boston Finance Council. John, a devout Catholic, was a daily communicant for many years, and a very accomplished golfer. John passed away on Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) April 11, 2021; Margarete passed away on December 19, 2017. Today, the Foundation is led by their daughter, Margarete Anne McNeice Portanova, who is Executive Director.
