Julio E Marty's Obituary
Eulogy for Julio E. Marty
Thank you all for coming today. My family and I greatly appreciate the outpouring of love, support and heartfelt condolences, that you have shown us. It means a great deal to all of us and it is a great comfort at this difficult time.
My father Julio, was an easy person to like and love. He was everyone's friend! I guess a lot of that comes from him positive and kind personality and the fact that he was in sales his entire life.
He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. My mother and him were married for 56 years, 11 months and 11 days!
They were together for a total of 61 years, if you count the years they were engaged. They were officially engaged on my mother's 15th birthday...and that was a long time ago, on March 21, 1957.
As a consequence, my mother's high school friends also became his close friends as well. These friendships endure to this day. That is like several lifetimes in my book and certainly very admirable by today's standards.
Leaving communist Cuba with a pregnant wife, he went back to the city of his ancestors, Barcelona, Spain. There began his quest to come to the United States. With the help of family and friends, my parents arrived in the United States on May 28, 1962.
Thus, began my fathers quest to achieve the American dream. One of his first jobs in the United States was at the shop Rite Distribution Center Warehouse. Our Grandfather, Pepin Raurell, Adolfo Sotelo and our Dad all worked there together. After that he began his selling career. The first one selling vacumn cleaners door to door with his dear friend, Adolfo Sotello, his brother, Francisco Marty and other friends. He went on to selling furniture at a store called "La Casa Tony" where he actually became the store manager within two months. Ultimately, he studied and got his insurance licenses and began a long career in the insurance industry.
He opened his own insurance agency and many years later opened a domestic insurance carrier in the state of Florida. It had over 120 employees and over 600 agents statewide.
Throughout his life, he never gave up, he never said no, it cannot be done. The word "no" and "impossible" were never in his vocabulary.
There was never an obstacle too great, never a mountain too high, never a task too daunting for him. He never looked back.
Being possessed of an inexhaustible work ethic, out father instilled in us three main things: the importance of getting an excellent education, hard work, and patriotic and civic duty.
He never missed the opportunity to exercise the privilege to go and vote in any election. He did his civic duty.
Many do not know this little known fact...that his first of act of civic duty was that he registered for the Armed Forces in December of 1962. He was always proud of this and mentioned it frequently.
Back in the days of Union General Insurance Company, whenever there was some difficulty or some impossible report to deliver...he would day...get whatever help you need and figure it out! Just do it! His most favorite day at work every year was always Christmas week....when he would sit with each employee and all of our managers and hand out Christmas bonuses. And of course the Christmas parties and the annual company picnics were legendary.
My father always loved the finer things in life. He loved french food and french wines. He taught us three daughters how to cook. He was the "master chef" in the kitchen and Virginia, Monica and I were his sous chefs in attendance. And of course, with french food, must come french wine. Yes, twist our arms, he turned us into very sophisticated wine brats! No cheap wine will ever do for us!
What he loved most of all was to dance. With a wife and three daughters he was never left without a partner to dance with. We loved it.
One of my most favorite memories was dancing the waltz with my father at the debutante ball, fifteenth birthday party. He got to enjoy this privilege three times, as my sisters also got to dance the waltz with our father. Yes, our father was always the first one on the dance floor and the last one off the dance floor. He was the life of every party and family get together.
He also loved to travel and enjoyed our holiday beach vacations. Especially the ones to Singer Island, FL, where we would go with all of the other families and friends from Miami.
We would set up camp at the beach, the parents would all hang together and the children would all hang together as well.
His trips to Darby Island, in the Bahamas, are also some of the best vacations that he ever had. He was not too fond of the little plane he had to take to land on Big Darby Island....but the fishing, yachting, snorkeling and interacting with his friends and our cousins Aileen, Ileana, Elena and Frankie made it all worthwhile.
My cousin Gloria Gonzalez Chiari, from New Jersey reminded me of a memory that we both have of our fathers, Fito Gonzalez and Julio, standing around at a family party, during the winter in New Jersey, saying and plotting together that they were going o move to Miami and buy a yacht! Well, the yacht never materialized but we did indeed move to Miami.
Julio, my father, was also a very empathetic person that instilled in those around him great trust. Yvette Nodal Rivero told me of a memory she had of my Dad when she accidentally broke a statue of the Virgin Mary while having a temper tantrum as a child, since she could not go out with her parents...my Dad was the one who consoled her and told her that it was ok and that all would be well.
Our cousin Michelle Minervino also reminded my sister Virginia of a wonderful memory that she had of our father. She was eight years old at the time and Julio asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Michelle answered that she wanted a nintendo. Julio asked her how much it would cost. Michelle answered $50 dollars. Dad opened his wallet and gave her $200 dollars and told her to go and buy four of them. Imagine!
My sisters Virginia and Monica Marty, once they reached college age, began calling my father "Dad" and "Pop" and "Pops" well that did not sit too well with him, because he said and I qoute "I am not Dad, nor Pop, nor Pops....I am your "Papito Lindo"....roughly translated as your lovely daddy!"
My daughter, Gigi...remembers a distinct memory of my father when she was ten years old. He said to her that a woman should always dress well and have a perfect manicure... and that it had to be a "french manicure" as that was the most elegant and refined manicure available...he failed to mention to her that it was also the most expensive manicure...from then on Gigi always got a "french manicure" and she always felt extra-pretty and it always reminded her of those words he said to her.
Yes, my father was a looker as well as a dresser...he expected his family and his staff to always look their very best.
He was obsessed with making sure that the women on his staff...especially his daughters, always had enough lipstick on their lips before any meeting or presentation. I always found that endearing of him.
Julio had a very special relationship with his grandchildren. A special connection existed between him and his two grandsons...Alexander Manuel Casanova and Julian Joseph Casanova...
He would always joke around with them and tell them that when they would go out together....he was not to be called "grandfather" but should be introduced as their "cousin" instead...very funny. tell everyone that I am your cousin...Tu primo...
Dad loved ceremonies, rituals and
traditions...celebrating even the most obscure occurrences. For example:
Every year he would entertain us with the summer equinox...June 21st of every year...the longest day of the year...
He would gather us around and make us look at his ability to stand an egg up. It would last about 24 hours....imagine that...we had to stare at this egg and celebrate the fact that egg was at attention for 24 hours during the summer equinox.
Actually, a picture of the last time he did it is on one of the picture boards on display.
Julio had the natural ability to put the people at ease. He instilled trust in everyone that surrounded him. His favorite Disney character was Goofy...
It kind of embodied his attitude towards life. Not to worry unnecessarily and to put your troubles in perspective. I actually name my miniature schnazer...Trivlin...which is Goofy in spanish.
Virginia reminded me of how Dad always was willing to try anything at least once...a zest for life and she would remind me of how he used to cheat at golf and twirl when he would tee off at the golf course here at Trump Doral. He played many sports and would ride his bike, walk and jog and just try anything...
He was game for anything. However, he did draw the line at parasailing in Acapulco...that was a "No" for him. Our travels together for insurance business hold many fond memories for me, the stories are endless and heartwarming.
I especially remember fondly the many trips to New York to visit AIG and negotiate our reinsurance treaties.
Julio, our father. was everyone's best friend. A man of his word...he was definitely old school...a handshake was as good as a signed contract. He marks the end of an era of men like him.
My sisters and I are so very proud to have been his daughters. We are very privileged....our mother was very fortunate to have had him as a husband for so many years.
Of one thing you can be sure...his love knew no limits...he lived his life to the fullest and enjoyed every minute of it. Whenever you would say to my father..."I love you" he would always respond "I love you too"
Julio is survived by our mother, Georgina Nodal Marty. His three daughters, Monica Elizabeth Marty, Virginia Maria Marty and myself. His six grandchildren:
Georgina Casanova
Alexander Casanova
Julian Casanova
Brianna Kerr
Veronica Kerr and
Lauren Lemaitre
His sisters Doris Marty and Consuelo Marty
His godchildren: Carlos Perez, Yvette Nodal Rivero and Marco Raurell
And of course all of our dear cousins
Again, I thank each and every one of you for your love, support and heartfelt condolences.
Thank you for being here, thank you for your expressions of love and thank you for remembering my father and helping us to say goodbye for a short while. For we shall meet again. Goodnight and God bless you all.
What’s your fondest memory of Julio?
What’s a lesson you learned from Julio?
Share a story where Julio's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Julio you’ll never forget.
How did Julio make you smile?
