Martin Deriso

Martin “Marty” Deriso, 89, formerly of Madison and Guilford passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at Milford Health and Rehabilitation Center in Milford, CT. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, April 3, 1937 and raised in Branford, he was the son of the late Casper and Martha (Hubert) Deriso.

Marty began a lifelong career in the automotive field, working in his early years as Shop Foreman at Whalley Volkswagen in New Haven. He went on to become an ASE Certified Master Mechanic and later shared his knowledge and experience as an instructor at Technical Careers Institute and Baran Institute of Technology in East Windsor, where he taught generations of aspiring mechanics the many facets of automotive repair.

Marty briefly served in the U.S. Army and was stationed for one year in Korea.

Marty had a natural talent for fixing things. If something was broken, he enjoyed figuring out how it worked and to how repair it—and often managed to make it better than it had been before. He was a life-long learner who loved to share his knowledge. Those who knew him rarely walked away without some new interesting fact or antidote.

Outside of work, Marty enjoyed nature, music, landscaping, reading adventure novels, computers, and cycling.

Marty will be remembered for his kindness, curiosity, resourcefulness, and willingness to lend a hand. His ability to fix almost anything may have been his trademark, but it was the people he helped and the friendships he made that will be his lasting legacy.

Marty is survived by his sisters Jean DeRiso of Branford and Diane (Deriso) King (David) of Arizona; his daughters, Dawn Deriso (John Gowan) of Bellevue, WA and Susan Deriso (Fred Trabucchi) of Cromwell; two nephews, and many friends whose lives he touched along the way. He was pre-deceased by his sister Elaine (Deriso) Castiglione and former wife Helga (Liebehenschel) Deriso.

A private graveside service will be held at St Agnes Cemetery at the convenience of his family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Marty’s memory to The Connecticut Audubon Society by visiting https://www.audubon.org/