Theodore J. “Butch” Marotta, 71, passed away in his home surrounded by his family on Thursday, May 16th, 2013, after a long and courageous battle with multiple forms of cancer.
He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Gail J. (Warman) Marotta; three daughters, Pamela A. Smith and her husband Tom of Charlton, Michele M. Heirtzler and her husband Michael of Shrewsbury, and Sharon B. Perno and her husband Joseph of Worcester; three step children, Donna Huntington of Webster, Michael Brown and his wife Tracy of Dudley, and Christine Desrosiers and her husband Paul of Paxton. He also leaves his daughter’s half sister Justine Smith and her family; a niece, Judy Brodeur; and a nephew Richard Brodeur and their families. He had 11 grandchildren whom he loved very much, Justin, Ian, Jessica, Briana, Nicole, Kristen, Rebecca, Andrew, Nathaniel, Kevin, and Christopher. He was predeceased by his sister, Beverly Brodeur; and his son-in-law, Russell Huntington. Theodore was born in Worcester, the son of the late Salvatore and Mary (Shiraka) Marotta, and lived in Worcester for most of his life before moving to Oxford in 1986.
     Ted attended schools in Worcester and took night classes at Worcester Boys Trade to become a machinist. He was a U.S. Army veteran serving during the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the dividing of Germany. He served with the 56th Nike Hercules Missile Base in Germany.
     Ted worked as a machinist at Wyman Gordon Company in Worcester for many years. In addition, he worked at Heinrich Ceramic Decal before retiring. He was a member of the American Legion Post 58 in Oxford for 27 years and the Singletary Rod and Gun Club for 24 years. He loved hunting and going on 2 and 3 day deep sea tuna fishing trips to the canyons with his good friends. He was an avid New England Patriots fan and longtime season ticket holder. He shared his tickets with his friends and family, at times arranging trips to the games with a van full of people for a day of fun and football. At the end of his life, Ted made the generous decision to donate his liver for research purposes, as he was the first person to receive a new type of treatment for liver cancer at UMass Medical Center.
     A funeral will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, from Paradis Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford, followed by a Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Roch’s Church, 332 Main St., Oxford. Burial will follow at Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton. Calling hours are Monday, May 20, 2013, from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the VNA of Southern Worcester County, P.O. Box 368, Webster, MA 01570, or the Central Massachusetts Hospice, 191 Pakachoag St., Auburn, MA 01501, in honor of VNA nurse Nancy and hospice nurse Jeanine, for their kind, compassionate, respectful, and loving care given to Ted.