Shamong Committeeman Mike Di Croce is the prime example of a Pinelands enthusiast, as he has been a passionate lifelong outdoorsman.
Di Croce was very active during his teenage years, getting into dirt biking, swimming and running. At this point in his life, he has completed five marathons.
He now enjoys traveling and continuing to stay active while doing so.
“I love to travel, having recently had the great fortune to go to hiking, bike riding and white river rafting in Machu Picchu, Peru, where I visited the ruins, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Lake Titicaca,” Di Croce said. “One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Costa Rica where we hiked waterfalls, misty crater lakes and jungle-fringed, beautiful deserted beaches,” Di Croce said.
Though Mexico is his favorite vacation spot, one of his favorite adventure-filled trips was driving his daughter Gabriella to San Diego this past winter.
They stopped at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, the Meteor Crater in northern Arizona and one of the best preserved meteorite impact craters on earth, located in the desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they also saw a tribute to Pink Floyd in the planetarium and participated in a pub crawl through the downtown Nashville bars and “honky tonks.”
Di Croce moved to Shamong in 1993.
“I loved the area,” Di Croce said. “I remember visiting Atsion Lake as a young boy and fell in the love with the area and returned to live here some 20 years later.”
He enjoys the people, nature and peacefulness of the Pinelands. Di Croce refers to Shamong as “a little slice of heaven.”
“I like the local township government, which is responsive to our neighbors’ needs but not intrusive or overbearing, with some of the best schools and lowest taxes in all of New Jersey,” Di Croce said.
He grew up in Drexel Hill, Pa., where he attended Monsignor Bonner High School and Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Di Croce was a hockey fan throughout his childhood. In fact, he went on to play intramural ice hockey in college at Penn State University, attending both the Delaware County and main campuses in “Happy Valley.”
Being a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and a proud Penn State graduate, Di Croce is always sure to return a “we are” with “Penn State” as it is tradition to do if you are a part of the PSU family.
One of his proudest memories came while attending the university. Each year Penn State hosts an event known as THON, a 48-hour dance marathon that provides emotional and financial support for cancer. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, and Di Croce participated in it in 1979.
He also attended the Southwestern University School of Law J.D. in Los Angeles, and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he studied law enforcement and corrections. He received his diploma in advanced international legal studies in 1985.
Di Croce studied in Salzburg, Austria, and worked as a young lawyer in Rome and London.
He is now an attorney with a new general law office opening in downtown Shamong in the former Midlantic Bank/Mac n Tots Childcare building where he will offer his legal services to all of Shamong’s residents who haven’t had many choices for local legal representation.
“I am excited to be able to have such a beautiful building which will be restored to its former glory,” Di Croce said. “My goal is to represent 20 local Shamong businesses and continue to provide affordable caring legal services to our neighbors, many of whom I have represented over the years.”
After running his first Marine Corps marathon in Washington, D.C., Di Croce had much to be proud of throughout his young life.
Now his proudest moments are spent with his three kids. Samantha, Gabriella and Michael are all graduates of Seneca High School and the Indian Mills school system.
After Di Croce’s three children went off to college, he had a little more time on his hands.
“I wanted to give back to the town I live in and I love,” Di Croce said.
He has been a committeeman for three years and has served on the Shamong Planning and Zoning Board for two years.
Di Croce enjoys watching football in the fall as he cheers on his hometown Eagles.
However, his favorite month is January because that’s the month in which he was born.
“I now celebrate a ‘birthday month,’ which I encourage everyone to do,” Di Croce said.
Di Croce likes to keep it light with his upbeat personality, but he is appreciative of all that he has.
“I am grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life,” Di Croce said. “I love the support of my friends, neighbors and church, the Holy Eucharist, with Father Andrew and Deacon Ken, who are always there in times of need.”
