John Michael DiMartino Sr.

John M. DiMartino, Sr., (Mike), 76, went home to be with his Lord Jesus Christ Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at Craven Regional Medical Center.

In high school, John DiMartino earned varsity letters in wrestling, football, and baseball. In his Post Graduate year '51, he was a Long Island Wrestling Champion. He attended Alfred University and left to play professional baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies minor leagues until an arm injury cut short that career.

His interest in art, nurtured at Mepham High School, enabled him to sell free-lance cartoons to McCall Corp. Employed as a draftsman in the 1950s by Amperex Electronics Corp., and then for Republic Aviation Corp., he later joined the firm of Peck & Hale in West Sayville, N.Y., where he became the major mechanical designer for most of their products for over an 18-year period. In 1971, he formed the Line Fast Corp., as a manufacturer of cargo tie-down and lifting equipment. It became Tandemloc Inc., where John personally obtained 12 U.S. patents and manufactured many products that are used by the military today. The company, John, and family relocated to Havelock, N.C., where he was active as an engineer and served as Chairman of the Board.

His community service includes President and VP of the Sayville (N.Y.) Board of Education, 1966-78; President of the Montauk Broadway Civic Association in Sayville in the '60s; a Sayville Little League coach, administrator, and president; active with St. John's Lutheran Church in Sayville and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Havelock, N.C. He chaired the committee for Mepham High classes of '50 and '51 40th Reunion.

John was a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the U.S. Delegation to International Standards Org. He received a citation from the Town of Islip for 12 years of service, a proclamation for service to the Sayville Board of Education, and a Suffolk County proclamation for his service to the Sayville Little League.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Irene DiMartino; two sons, John Michael DiMartino Jr. and wife, Sue and William David DiMartino, and wife, Maureen and six grandchildren, Ryan, Jessie, Christie, Katie, Lisa and Deanna, all who reside nearby in New Bern, N.C. In addition he is survived by a sister-in-law, Marian and husband Bob Hirsh of Tampa, Fla.; niece, Leslie Bowden of Bethlehem, Pa.; nephew, Ed Metzger of Moseley, Va.; and several other nieces and nephews.

Funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 at St. Paul Lutheran Church with Pastor James Daub officiating. Entombment will follow at Greenleaf Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at Pollock-Best Funeral Home Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

Mr. DiMartino was chairman of the Forward In Faith Building Campaign at his church, which was very important to him, and his family has asked, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made in his memory to Forward In Faith, c/o St. Paul Lutheran Church, 305 US Hwy. 70 West, Havelock, NC 28532.

Those who desire to send the family a note of condolence or sign the online guest book may do so by visiting www.pollockbest.com

Arrangements by Pollock-Best Funerals and Cremations.

To sign our guestbook, go to www.newbernsj.com.