1951-2025
Martin Morelli (Marty) passed away after a heart attack on January 24, 2025, a few months before his 74th birthday. He was a Guthrie native and attended school at St. Mary before graduating from Guthrie High School, where he was president of the debate team. Marty worked several jobs as a young man; his favorite was at Stuckey’s gas station. After high school, he earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and accounting from Central State University before working in the oil and gas and fitness industries. He and his former wife of over 25 years, Cecilia, had two children, John and Katherine (Kate).
Marty was caring, intelligent, generous, and had a dry sense of humor. In his youth, he had movie-star good looks, a perfect smile, and was impeccably dressed. Marty loved physical activity-whether it be lifting weights, throwing darts, hitting a punching bag, walking for miles on end, or mowing the lawn. He enjoyed debating politics and any other controversial issue, getting a coke, collecting coins, reading, history, memorizing poems, learning new words, driving a standard transmission, looking at and detailing cars, and occasionally firing off a pointed letter to the editor. He was also proud of his Italian heritage.
When Marty’s children were young, he often had more energy for playing catch and hitting tennis balls than they did. He could also deliver a convincing “pep talk” on the way to school and liked to cook pancakes and spaghetti for his family. Marty’s children learned lessons in discipline, grit, and resilience, which they now use in their lives and careers, one as a lawyer and the other a physician.
Marty is survived by his daughter, Kate Morelli; his son and his wife, John and Danielle Morelli; and three grandchildren, Victoria, Elizabeth, and John (Big John). He also leaves behind his cousins and dear friends. Marty was preceded in death by his parents, Mary (Billie) and Frank Morelli; his brother, Brad; and several aunts and uncles.
In the words of Marty’s favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, his family is confident that “The Best is Yet to Come” for him as he enters the Kingdom of Heaven as a believer of the Catholic faith. Amasswillbe held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Guthrie, OK.
Published in the Guthrie News Leader - February 19, 2025