Vincent Martorano

Vincent Martorano, 78, of Gurnee, IL passed away peacefully Tuesday, Aug. 4. Vincent was born September 2, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY to the late Alfonso and Josephine (nee Pace) Martorano. Vincent is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Susan (nee Rohrer) Martorano, and his beloved children, Dawn Martorano, Dustin (Katie) Martorano, Dana (Erik) Albrecht and Dion Martorano. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Caden Albrecht, Madeline Albrecht, Olivia Martorano, Ava Martorano and Mitch Martinez, along with his great-grandson Michael James Martinez. He is also survived by his loving brother Salvatore (Maria) Martorano and niece Lisa Martorano, along with many cousins throughout the country.

He is preceded in death by his parents, along with his daughter, Carolyn Orloff-Martinez.

When Vincent was nine years old the family moved to Miami, Florida where he lived from Feb. 1957 to 1972. Vincent graduated from North Miami High School in 1965 and attended Miami-Dade Jr. College from 1970-72.

Vincent joined the U.S. Navy Nov. 17, 1965 and went active Jan. 11, 1966. He attended boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Boot Camp and schooling at NTC, also at Great Lakes. After completing schooling in March 1966 he received his orders to his next duty station in the U.S. Naval Base, Subic Bay and Philippine Islands. He was attached to Harbor Clearance Unit One Combat Salvage divers.

He took routine trips to VungTau, South Vietnam with his LCDR. Milwee (engineer and diving officer) on routine craft checkups. Vincent did the repair drawings for the Unit and learned how to dive to assist in recoveries.

After his tour was over he received his orders to go back to Vietnam for another year attached to Naval Support Activity, DaNang West Security as a squad leader. He finally left Vietnam in one piece Dec. 1, 1969 and was honorably discharged Dec. 4, 1969, before heading home to Miami to be with his family and friends.

After college, he had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins, before getting into retail.

He moved to Michigan and met his wife of over 50 years, Susan, and they eventually made the move to Illinois, where he lived the rest of his life. They got married July 18, 1975.

Vince helped shape numerous companies over the years, but his favorite job was always being a father and a grandfather. He loved attending his children and grandchildren’s games and events. A talented craftsman, he helped build or fix up numerous houses over the years, along with his son Dustin’s gyms. There was never a job he wasn’t willing to work on for his family.

Outside of his family time and work, he enjoyed spending time volunteering for Veteran causes. He was a proud member of the VFW at multiple locations over the years, including Ronald Hill Memorial VFW Post 2245 in Grayslake, where he previously served as Senior Vice Commander. He loved being around other Veterans and helping others where he could. Vince was honored to be a part of the Lake County Honor Flight a few years ago.

Besides Veteran causes, he was also involved in being an assistant coach on a few semipro football teams over the years. His love of football, especially the Miami Dolphins, was lifelong. He had the honor of serving as a mentor and father-figure to numerous players over the years.

In his later years, Vince and Susan, along with their son Dion, would go on multiple cruises a year, getting the chance to see the world. He enjoyed seeing the different cultures and sights, along with the people he met along the way.

He proudly served his country and was a true American from start to finish. He loved his family more than anything and his loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in his name at any of the following organizations: Alzheimer’s Association, Lake County Honor Flight, Ronald Hill VFW Post 2245 (Grayslake) or Gurnee American Legion Post 771.

There will be a celebration of life at a later date.