Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Mario “Marty” Martini, 96, of Virginia Beach, passed away Tuesday, April 24, 2018, of natural causes. Born June 4, 1921, in Rivisondoli, Italy, to Vincenzo and Raffaela (Ferrara) Martini, Mario immigrated to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island in 1927.

The family settled in Warren, Ohio, where Marty graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1940. In 1942, Marty became a member of America’s Greatest Generation by joining the U.S. Navy, enrolling in the preflight aviation program at the University of Iowa.