Ramon A. "Ray" Martello Obituary (1927 - 2017)

Ramon Ray Albert Martello, 89, of Bloomington, formerly of Darien, died on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at his home.His funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 23, 2017 at St. Patrick Church of Merna, Bloomington, with Rev. Michael Pica officiating. Military honors will be accorded by the Bloomington/Normal American Legion Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. A committal service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, 7201 Archer Road, Justice, IL 60458.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Homes of Hope, 705 E. Lincoln, Suite 313, Normal, IL 61761, or the American Legion Louis E. Davis Post 56, 2505 Fox Creek Road, Bloomington, IL 61704. rnRay was born May 22, 1927 in Chicago, the son of Nick and Bessie Prusa Martello. He married Barbara Zielinski on May 9, 1959.Surviving are his wife, Barbara, of Bloomington; two daughters, Susan Martello of Normal and Lynne (Steve) Sugai of Bloomington; three grandchildren, Merci, Justice and Noble Sugai and special nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Gladys Koehler.Ray was a 1945 graduate of Crane Technical High School and went on to serve in the United States Army from 1945-1946. He graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1951 with a degree in engineering. He worked in the plastics industries in the Chicago area his entire career.Ray was a member of the American Legion, Louis E. Davis Post 56 and also served as an election judge and census taker for McLean County. He was a member of St. Patrick Church of Merna. Hunting and fishing were Rays favorite pastimes. He was a life-long Chicago Cubs fan, and enjoyed cheering the Cubs on to a World Series win this past November. What he enjoyed most of all, however, was spending time with his family, especially his three grandchildren.