Michael Joseph Martino Jr.

 Michael Joseph Martino Jr, age 74 of Wading River, passed away on October 6, 2023. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, October 10, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM and 7:00PM - 9:00PM at the Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home, located at 6447 Route 25A, Wading River, NY. Funeral mass will be held on Wednesday October 11, 2023, at St. John the Baptist RC Church at 10:30AM. Interment with Navy Honors will follow at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY.

On September 9th, 1949, a great man entered the world.  Michael Joseph Martino Jr was born.  Michael’s parents, Dolores and Michael Martino, welcomed him into the world in Queens.  Queens was where he grew up, went to school, made friends, played sports on the streets with friends, teased the cats, welcomed his sister Susan (Martino) Zambito and got into some trouble along the way. In 1967, Michael joined the United States Navy and served in the Vietnam War.  He worked as an electrician on the USS Tutuila. During these years he was able to see the world. Traveling to places such as Vietnam, Japan and California. He also had a lot of fun along the way making friends, learning the spoons and many card games.  He returned in 1970 to his family's summer home on Long Island which then became their residence. He came home as well to his 1-year-old sister Maria (Martino) Casha.  After serving his time in the Navy, Michael began working at Grumman Aerospace. He wired the wings of the E2C Hawkeye. In 1973, he met his love, Deborah (Debie) (Caporoso) Martino who worked at Grumman Data Systems.  Colleagues referred to them as Debie Data and Michael Airplane. They were married April 6, 1975, and moved into a bungalow in Lindenhurst, NY. It was a big project, but the bungalow was converted to a beautiful home. Many people were there to help with this restoration including Michael’s dad, cousins, friends and family members.  This is where he would spend most of his living years in this home in Lindenhurst.  Together, him and Debie raised their three children, Alda (Martino) Darragh, Michael Martino and Amanda Martino.  He was the best tickle monster you could ask for and always had a good joke. He loved spending time with his family going on vacations, watching soccer games, dance recitals and making the world-famous buttery edge.  He gave practical advice and always had kindness in his heart.  He pushed his children to strive to their full potential and cheered them on along the way.  He taught them to be independent thinkers, how to treat people, how to take care of a home, how to save money, to walk away from a situation that could escalate and how to love.  He would stop everything to play a football game or to watch his favorite team, the New York Yankees. Kindness is contagious was his motto and it really does hold true.  He made so many friends along the way and could have a conversation with anyone. To know Michael was to love him.  He welcomed his daughter n law Chrissy (Merle) Martino and son n law Ryan Darragh with open arms. He welcomed his three grandchildren, James Martino, Maxwell (Max) Martino and Avynn Darragh and they lovingly referred to him as Pop Pop. He adored his grandchildren and spent a lot of time with them throughout the years.  Michael was a beautiful example of a life well lived. One full of kindness and patience. His kind heart, kind eyes and infectious smile will be missed by his family and friends.  

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