Joe and Marie Lenze cultivated their family legacy through impressive means: pizza. Ask anyone within 30 miles of Wadsworth if they’ve had a bite at Marie’s Family Restaurant before, and they’ll be ready with a rave review. Serving up fresh, fantastic food, Marie’s has been a community staple since 1970.

Joe, commonly known as Mr. Marie, celebrated his 99th birthday this year and took the time to reflect on his military service, deep faith, and success with Marie’s.

Draft Day

Long before Marie’s, Joe worked for Firestone for 37 years. He has always been a go-getter, so any job that allowed him to work physically with his hands was a good fit. From steel handler to working at a tire parlor to a cement finisher, Lenze had done it all.

“Every place I worked in my life begged me to come back,” Joe smiles proudly.

In 1944, Joe was drafted into the Army. It turned his life upside down, serving for a much different and more difficult experience than any of his handyman jobs. He boarded the Queen Elizabeth ship, housing nearly 18,000 people, alongside the iconic General Patton. At the time, Joe didn’t even know who he was!

“You hear a lot about General Patton, but he was smart and he started the tank corps.”

Joe had traveled through Scotland, France, Belgium, and beyond. He had been granted a furlough to visit his mother before her passing, which ultimately led to his discharge from service.

Joe's outstanding work ethic was evident in his service in the Army, where he served as a First Class Private. He was awarded a Battle Star for his participation in the Battle of the Rhine. In 2016, Joe attended the "Honor Flight" ceremony in Washington, D.C., to commemorate his service.

^{A young, dapper Joe Lenze. (Courtesy of Lenze Family)}

The Beginnings of Marie’s

Joe met his wife, the late, great Marie, early in life. Then, Marie had been working as a waitress in a friend’s restaurant. Joe tells us that she was the best waitress they ever had, with her kindness and hospitality – it’s no wonder Joe fell for her!

“She was going with a guy who was an architect and had all kinds of money. I didn’t think there’d be a chance for little ol’ me!” Joe chuckles, all smiles when his wife is brought up.

Joe and Marie Lenze were married in St. Sebastian Catholic Church in 1950, having four children. Though their love story began years before, the story of Marie’s Family Restaurant starts with an idea by Mr. Marie himself.

Inspired by his sister, Joan Rendino, who owned a pizza shop, Joe thought it would be a good idea to open his own. With an ambition like his, the gears got to moving, and he couldn’t get the pizza shop out of his mind.

And, although Marie wasn’t the most enthusiastic about the concept, she couldn’t help but agree with Joe's proposal to name the restaurant after her.

^{Every day at Marie's is like a family reunion with owners Joe and Marie Lenze (Left). (Courtesy of Lenze Family)}

“I started here in 1970. I had $2,000, and I was taking a chance,” says Lenze. “I had a lot of drive, and I couldn’t sit still! I said, ‘I’m going to get ahead one way or another.’”

It certainly wasn’t easy work at first, but that wouldn’t stop them. Joe purchased a significant amount of his materials second-hand, trying to establish a foothold in his small shop. But it wasn’t long until that hard work paid off.

“Nobody had ever seen a shop take off like mine,” Joe says.

Joe and Marie were friendly faces for the folks who stopped in, serving up delicious pizza to families across the community. The food was delicious, plain and simple. Nobody was doing it better than them.

The Modern Marie’s

Unfortunately, Marie passed away in 1999, but Joe was determined to honor her legacy. The two had aspirations of transforming Marie’s into a dine-in joint, and Joe did just that in 2006. Now run by Mr. Marie himself, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren, Marie’s holds true to be the family establishment it has always been.

If you've ever stopped into Marie’s, you know that everyone who dines there isn’t just a customer, but a friend. Joe looks fondly at the community that welcomed him with open arms and credits his success to those who took a chance on his food, as well as the dedicated efforts of his family.

And, of course, Joe will forever thank, love, and appreciate his wife, Marie, for giving him this amazing family and helping him become the good man he is today. Joe continues to be involved in Marie’s and in the community, spending much of his time at the Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Copley, of which he has been a member for decades.

Visit Marie's Restaurant!

130 E Smokerise Dr, Wadsworth

Website, Facebook