He was born in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1945. Michael graduated from Babylon High School in Babylon, New York and received a BS in Accounting from LSU at New Orleans.
He was married to Deborah Lynne Souris on July 20, 2002.
Michael started his career in accounting at Arthur Andersen & Company. He went on to serve 25 years at Pennzoil Company, retiring as Vice President and Controller.
He was a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the Industry and Government Committee for the Houston Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.
Michael served his country in the U.S. Army. He enlisted in September 1965 with an honorable discharge in May 1971; serving in Korea, Germany and Vietnam. His initial service was as a Military Policeman, and he ultimately achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Michael had a passion for scuba diving, golf, photography, skiing, and woodworking. In addition, he loved collecting Zippo lighters.
Even in his death, Michael was able to help others by being an organ donor.
Michael is preceded in death by his parents Michael Joseph Maratea, Sr. & Ruth Francis Lawless Maratea and his sister, Florence Jones.
He is survived by his wife, Debbie; his son, Brian Michael Maratea and stepson, Christopher Pryce Reina. He is also survived by his sister, Barbara Grace Wong.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at https://secure.mdausa.org/donate/.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00pm on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at Forest Park in The Woodlands, Texas.