Joseph G. Martorella
(April 19, 1937 - October 30, 2013)

Joseph Gerard Martorella, 76, of Huntington died October 30, 2013, at home. A native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Duquesne University, he came to West Virginia to go to law school and received his JD degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 1964. Active in the Poverty Wars of the 1960's, he worked in the state Office of Economic Opportunity and trained lawyers in the VISTA program. He practiced law in Huntington for 35 years, first in private practice and then as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Cabell County. He was a man of complicated emotions and contradictions, and strong passions and opinions. He seemed to live larger, and sometimes louder, than most of us. One of his greatest joys was that he saw six Super Bowl wins for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one of his deepest sorrows was that he did not see Bill Mazeroski hit the winning home run for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series, because he found out too late that his Uncle Dave had a ticket for him. He was deeply loved. Surviving: his wife of 40 years, Marjorie, of Huntington; three sons, Drew, of Colorado Springs, Patrick, of New York City, and Joseph, of Baltimore; a brother, Daniel, of Fort Myers, Florida; granddaughters, Zuzu and Asha, of Baltimore; and cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church Monday, November 4, at 5:00 PM, with the Rev. Doctor Chip Graves officiating. Friends may greet the family in the church parlor immediately following the service. The family will attend a funeral mass and interment to be scheduled in Pittsburgh at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to Ebenezer Medical Outreach in Huntington.