Obituary of Arthur Marino

Arthur Marino, 95, of Hillsborough, NJ passed away on Monday, March 4, 2024.  He was born in Paterson, NJ and lived in Haledon for 73 years before moving to Hillsborough in 2010.  He was a notoriously hard working, helping to support his family at the age of 14 with a variety of part time jobs, including working as a shoeshine in a barber shop, delivering newspapers, and working at the local ballpark (for a bookie!), where he met and got an autograph from Babe Ruth himself.  He served in the National Guard and became a Store Manager for A&P Supermarkets until his retirement.  He was a member of UFCW No. 464 in Little Falls, NJ and a former parishioner of St. Paul’s R.C. Church of Prospect Park, NJ.

Arthur was widely known as the best chef around, as well as the Christmas Cookie master.  He made the most delicious roast beef and gravy from scratch for every holiday, a recipe he learned from his mother, and he baked and hand decorated birthday cakes for his family throughout their lives.  Arthur’s skill and passion for cooking was passed down from his mother and his father, who served as the Personal Chef to General Pershing during World War I.

Every Christmas Arthur would fill an entire closet full of fresh-baked cookies and share them with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the Church, senior centers, and even his grandkids’ workplaces.  Requests for his famous cookies would start coming in months in advance!   

He continued his family legacy by teaching his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren how to cook, including homemade pasta and his award-winning sauce, which won the Best Marinara Sauce in NJ Award at the Statewide Italian Festival.  He also passed down his famous cookie baking skills to his family, forming the “Cookie Crew” with his three great grandsons. 

In addition to his renowned abilities as a chef, Arthur was reputed for his kind and generous heart, dedicating much of his time to charitable causes.  He collected baked goods for the Senior Center and the Church, making friends with all the local food markets to collect overstocked items which would have otherwise gone to waste.  He also volunteered at various homeless shelters and soup kitchens.  Arthur was dedicated to the Church, helping cook thousands of pierogies for them to sell at their annual fundraising carnival each year, and he was a huge supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  For the past three years he helped with his daughter’s “Keith Urban Fans, Monkeys and Mates” stuffed animal drive.  This past year, Arthur and Debra collected an all-time high of 583 stuffed animals for sick children at the Ronald McDonald House in New Brunswick and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune.  Their efforts yielded nearly 10% of the worldwide charity drive’s total collected stuffed animals this year, which was almost 7,000!

Arthur was a true people person who could light up a room with his smile and welcoming nature.  He was a joker, who always had a new cheesy joke to share whenever he saw you, and he seemed to know absolutely everyone.  He loved to travel with his wife, Betty, going all around the world including to his family’s hometown, Friene, in Abruzzi, Italy, to Wales, to Hawaii, to Branson, Missouri, and to Hollywood, CA, where he met Joe DiMaggio.  He was a huge Yankees fan who enjoyed watching Westerns, and classic movies and TV shows.

Above all else, Arthur was a loving and caring family man.  He said that the meaning of life was having the love of a family and that the best advice he ever received was to be honest, even if people didn’t like what you had to say, and to love your family, since they are the ones who will always be there for you.  He was chivalrous, having met his wife by giving her a ride home in a massive snowstorm (and then getting the car stuck in front of her house), always showed integrity, and put his family first, taking care of them and giving them love each and every day. 

He was a beloved husband to the late Elizabeth “Betty” Marino, and devoted father of Debra Marino and Marilyn Villano. Dear brother of the late Esther Petruccelli, Anita Gennarelli and Andy and James Marino.  Loving grandfather of Kelly Buist, Jamie Marino, Matthew Villano and Melanie Villano.  Cherished great grandfather of Lucas, Jackson and Hunter Buist and Rosie and Cora Villano. 

Funeral from Keri-Lozito Funeral Home, 125 Main Street, Lincoln Park, NJ on Saturday at 8:45 AM.  Funeral Mass at St. Paul's R.C. Church, 286 Haledon Avenue, Prospect Park, NJ at 9:45 AM.  Entombment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa, NJ.  Visiting on Friday from 3-7 PM. 

In lieu of flowers please make donations to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.