Scott W. "Scotty" Martin

Scott "Scotty" Martin, age 56, of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away suddenly of natural causes at his home on June 10, 2022.
Scott was born to the late Bill and Nancie (Keenan) Martin of Medford Lakes, NJ. Scott was the youngest of the Martin family following his brother Jeff Martin (Val) of Wilmington, and sister Kim Schulte (Mike) of Ocean City, NJ/Florida Keys. He is also survived by his nephews Tim and Ryan Martin and his nieces Dori Martin, Dianna Larsen (Tim), and Shannon Erwin (Dave).
Scott was born and raised in Medford Lakes, NJ. His idyllic upbringing as a "Laker" consisted of bike riding, catching lightning bugs and hop toads, earning his coveted "Bronze Shield," spending his entire allowance at Mom Scheffhauser's on penny candy and summering in Ocean City NJ-all while creating lifelong friendships. After graduating from Shawnee High School, Scotty moved to Newark, Delaware, to attend the University of Delaware and began working at H.A. Winston's. His skills at the restaurant enabled him to purchase his first house at the ripe old age of 18. Scott graduated from busboy to bartender to manager all while unbeknownst to the owners he was well under 21 years old! His work ethic, determination and love for the restaurant business made him unstoppable.
As many of his co-workers and friends remember, he didn't only work hard but he played hard as well. Scott loved the fun, the late-night drinks, the crazy shenanigans, spontaneous travel, boating and time spent at the gaming tables.
In the late 80s, Scott partnered with his close friend John Schulte and sister Kim Martin to purchase their first restaurant, Scratch MaGoo's. They then expanded their businesses to include, Thurston's, Shellhammer's, Willoughby's, and Tyler Fitzgerald's. Scott built his last restaurant, Old Banks, in 2016. He was the consummate restaurateur, creating legendary dining and drinking spots all around the area. Even as he was building and running several businesses, he never stopped having fun and creating strong, meaningful forever friendships with his faithful staff and customers.
Although Scott loved people, he loved his furry friends even more! He was the ultimate dog whisperer. His dogs were without a doubt his best friends and he was totally theirs! Scott's passion for rescuing was amazing. His last "good boy" Briggs, a regal Belgian Malinois rescue, took a part of Scott's heart when he passed last year. Wouldn't it be a sight to see Scotty as he crossed that rainbow bridge to the waiting mass of warm kisses and wagging tails.
Friends and family are invited to visit Mealey's Funeral Home (mealeyfuneralhomes.com), 2509 Limestone Rd. from 5:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday June 22, 2022. A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday morning at 10:00 AM at St. Ann's Church, Gilpin and Union Streets in Wilmington. A Celebration of Life will follow.
Scott has requested that his ashes and those of his beloved dogs be added to a project that is building man-made coral reefs. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Fur-EverPaws.com Dog rescue, 9 Deasy Drive Newark, Delaware 19702, in Scott's name.