Joseph Anthony Martis

Joseph A. Martis, longtime resident of Harper Woods Michigan, passed away July 15, 2026. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, January 28, 1937, to Joseph C. Martis and Elizabeth R. (Gadus) Martis. Coming from a family of strong Catholic faith he attended 8 years of Good Shepherd Catholic grade school and graduated from Central Catholic High School – Toledo in 1955. All four grandparents and his father immigrated to the United States from the Slovak region of the Austrian Hungarian Empire. The family’s actual ancestral name, Marčiš, was changed accidentally by Allegany County Pennsylvania on the marriage license of his fraternal grandparents. He remained close to many of his 29 first cousins who shared his Toledo youth in a close-knit East European Catholic family.

Joseph married Germaine Rehahn in 1960 after they met at Michigan Tech in the upper peninsula. He is survived by Germaine; daughter Pamela and beloved son-in-law Dan Denske; brothers Kenneth (Myra) and Thomas (Linda); and nieces Kasemarie Martis, Holly Martis McCarroll (Megan), Heather Martis Buskirk (Wesley).

He received his B.S. degree in metallurgy from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1960 where he also received a commission as a United States Army Engineering Corps Officer. After two years of active duty at Fort Bliss, Texas, he served 28 more years in the Army Reserve, attaining the rank of full Colonel in 1980. In the reserves, he attended the Command and General Staff College and served in numerous command posts throughout the United States over the years.

Joseph had a long career as a metallurgical engineer with several companies including the U.S. Steel Corporation, General Electric- Carboloy Division; and most recently Seco Tools and US Manufacturing. His unique skill set and love of metallurgy gave him the opportunity to travel to hundreds of manufacturing plants around the United States and abroad. He enjoyed telling stories of all the interesting people and experiences of his lifetime of travel.

Visitation will take place at A H Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236, US, on July 20, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Visitation will also be held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 467 Fairford Rd, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236, US, on July 21, 2026, from 9:30 am to 10:00 am, followed by the Funeral Service at the same location on July 21, 2026, at 10:00 am

A Committal Service will be held at Resurrection Cemetery, 18201 Clinton River Rd, Michigan, MI 48038, US, on July 21, 2026, from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm.