John J. Marino

John J. Marino, age 85, died January 24, 2012. Dearest father of Suzanne (Fred) Lortet and the late John P. Marino. Step-father of Carol Floyd, Sharen Floyd and Phylis Floyd. Loving grandfather of John Michael Lortet and Ann Marie Lortet. Dear brother of Joseph (Shirley and the late Sally) Marino. Uncle of Suzan (Mark) Giannotta, Roslyn (John Grobbel) Marino, Joseph (Andrea) Marino and John (Kellie) Marino. Visitation Sunday 3-9 pm with a Rosary at 7 pm at Kaul Funeral Home, 35201 Garfield, Clinton Township. Instate Monday 9:30 a.m. until time of Mass at 10 am at San Francesco Catholic Church, 22870 S. Nunneley Clinton Township. Interment at Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton Township.

Biography for John Jack Marino:

John Jack Marino was born on May 22, 1926. Like many children of that era, he was born at home in Detroit, Michigan, to parents Ignatius and Susanna Marino.

John’s parents, who were born in Sicily, brought many of their old world values with them to this country and instilled them in John and his younger brother, Joseph. The economic conditions of the time required families to be disciplined, resourceful and dependent upon each other. These were independent qualities and traits that stayed with John throughout his life. In fact, if any song would sum up John’s life, it would be “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra.

As a child, John developed a variety of interests, and was especially fond of sports, particularly baseball and football. When his playing days were over, he stayed connected to his favorite sports by following the ups and downs of his favorite teams, Detroit’s Tigers and Lions. He was a loyal and dedicated fan even during losing seasons. He stayed active by joining a number of bowling leagues later on. It always remained one of his favorite activities.

Like many other young men of his day, his high school career was interrupted by World War II. John joined the Army and was stationed in Germany near the end of the war. He served his country bravely and honorably and established camaraderie with his fellow soldiers that impacted him for the rest of his life. He became a dedicated member of the American Legion Post 570 volunteering his time to the various service events, serving as a past commander and, in his final years, serving as membership officer.

When he returned home from the service, he immediately resumed his education, being rewarded with a GED. John entered the workforce, pursuing a career as a salesperson which suited his outgoing personality. He was employed for the majority of his career at HJ McCarty where he specialized in selling hardware products to local retail outlets in the Detroit area. He continued his career at Weider Hardware and retired from there.

As his career progressed, John found the time to get married and was fortunate enough to have two children, Suzanne and John. Though initially family life brought John a great deal of pleasure and comfort, it was marked by heartbreak. The marriage ended after eight years and his son, John, tragically died at a young age. Still, with the help and support of his family and friends, John managed to survive these travails and found joy when Suzanne presented him with two grandchildren, John Michael and Anne Marie Lortet.

Later in life, he developed a close relationship with Elaine Ellis. For more than 20 years, John and Elaine were constant companions, attending family functions, dining with friends and just being each other’s closest friend. It became a given for those who knew John that wherever you saw him, Elaine would be close by.

John was very attached to his extended family as well. Uncle John, or “UJ” as he was known to nieces, nephews and even cousins and new acquaintances, also maintained close relationships with several female relatives throughout his life. For example, his sister-in-law, Sally Marino, was always there to provide John with help and advice—along with regular Sunday servings of pasta. Agnes Hunwick and Caroline Stagil (Rubino) were not only cousins, they were lifelong friends. As he grew up living next door to them, they shared their thoughts, their troubles and their triumphs. They became the sisters that he never had. In fact, since UJ’s love of parties and dancing was well known, when the music started at a family function, you would always find John on the dance floor with his favorite partner, Caroline. Another defining tradition for John revolved around Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, as the Marino clan gather to celebrate the holiday, all the nieces and nephews (and grandnieces and grandnephews) knew that they could count on a package from UJ full of Johnny Mac cookies.

When he wasn’t dancing with his cousins, you might also find him visiting them, particularly the Hunwick family (Ed, Eddie and Sam) and engaging in one of his other passions—playing cards. The weekly pinochle games were hotly (and loudly) contested.

Playing cards was also involved in another major event in John’s life. He used to tend bar at his American Legion Hall and, one night, things got a little exciting. There was some “illegal” gaming going on and the police chose that time to stage a raid. Although not involved in the actual crime, John was rounded up with the rest of the folks and ended up being named in the paper as one of the participants. Of course, charges were later dropped, but it was always a source of amusement for friends and relatives as they knew it was totally uncharacteristic for John to ever be involved in that kind of activity.

He also was committed to his friends, Tony and Beverly Ventimiglia who were with John the day he passed away. He regarded Tony Ciaramitaro as his longest and best friend and made new friends along way, such as Glen Gerring, whom with he shared stories of being in the service at the same time. Speaking of which, he continued his armed services connections throughout his life by being actively involved in the American Legion. It was his way of staying connected to his time in the service, which was one of the defining moments in his life.

John was also a person who took great pride in his religion. He was a dedicated member of St. Ignatius (“The Renegade “) church, including serving and participating in the church choir. As someone who loved to sing (and loudly), John’s voice was always easy to pick out from the rest of the choir.

When John’s retirement finally arrived, he was well prepared. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he continued to bowl and sing in the choir. Even in retirement, John continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances.

John Marino passed away on January 24, 2012 at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City, Michigan, of heart failure. John is survived by his daughter Suzanne (Fred) Lortet. Step-children Carol Floyd, Sharen Floyd and Phylis Floyd. Grandchildren John Michael Lortet and Ann Marie Lortet. Brother of Joseph (Shirley) Marino. Nieces and nephews Suzan (Mark) Giannotta, Roslyn (John Grobbel) Marino, Joseph (Andrea) Marino and John (Kellie) Marino. John was predeceased by his son John Marino and sister-in-law Sally Marino. Funeral arrangements were made by Kaul Funeral Home. Services were held at San Francesco Catholic Church, Clinton Township, Michigan. John was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton Township, Michigan.