Dominic Joseph ' Marty' Martorana

Dominic Joseph “Marty” Martorana, beloved husband, father, and friend, died peacefully on September 12th, 2013 at the Lebanon VA Medical Center, Lebanon, PA, which was his home for six months. Dominic passed away quietly after his final, heroic battle with COPD. Born in Reading, PA on September 16, 1925, he was the 9th child of the late Dominic and Grazia Martorana who emigrated from Palermo, Sicily. Dominic loved horses his entire life. As a young man, he would often take the trolley through Reading to the country club where he would groom horses and lead trail rides through the mountains. At 17, he enlisted into the Army. During WWII, he became a 1st Scout, and translator in the 5th Army, 91st Division, Company I (eye). At 5’5” Dominic was trained on the BAR or Browning Automatic Rifle. It weighed 40 pounds, almost half of Dominic’s weight! On August 15, 1944, he and his squad were captured outside of Pisa, Italy. A firefight ensued while his squad was pinned inside a farmhouse. He was hit with shrapnel from a German grenade. He ended up in Stalag 2B in Mooseberg, just outside of Munich, Germany. He survived the Black Forest Death March that occurred near the end of the war. Dominic would often volunteer to work as a trustee. He and other POW’s would work local German farms to tend the crops. This allowed Dominic to work with horses again and avoid the harsh realities of the Stalag camp. Often, the trustees would sabotage the machinery so the farmer would have to spend most of the day fixing his horse-drawn equipment. Dominic endured 16 months in 2 Stalags. He was liberated and returned home on the liberty ship Conrad Weiser. For his service, Dominic was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, POW Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. After the war, he trained to be a jockey at the Calumet Farms in Kentucky. He returned to Reading, PA and worked for the Dana Corporation as a welder until his retirement in 1987. On June 5th, 2013 he was honored as a War Hero by Representative David Maloney of the 130th Legislative District of Pennsylvania. Dominic is survived by his son, Kevin W. Martorana and wife Sondra D. Martorana, sisters Bessie Seibert and Mary Clark and their respective families. Dominic was the widower of Emma Martorana and former husband of Joan E. Simmons. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 17th, 2013, at 10 AM at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville, PA 17003 (717) 865-5254. Flowers may be sent to, Kreamer Funeral Home, 618 East Main Street, Annville, PA (717) 867-4811. Donations also may be accepted by the American Red Cross, 1220 Mifflin Street Lebanon, PA 17042, one of Dominic’s favorite charities.

Dominic Joseph ' Marty' Martorana

September 16, 1925 - September 12, 2013