It’s Not Goodbye… It’s See You Later

Franklin R. Martino, known simply as “Frank” to his friends and family, was the kind of man who did everything in life with heart and gusto.

He never met a stranger. It didn't matter whether you were rich or poor, whether he had known you for 50 years or had just met you that day. What mattered to Frank was simple: Were you a good human being?

That was Frank.

Frank passed away on Sunday, October 4, 2026, after a long and courageous fight with cancer. He was 84 years young.

But cancer is not how his family will remember him.

They will remember a boy from Fairmont who grew up the son of hardworking Italian immigrants, with a coal miner for a dad and a baker and homemaker for a mom. They will remember a young man known as “Foxy,” a proud linebacker for East Fairmont High School whose jersey bore the number 55. They will remember the stories he told about fans cheering from the sidelines, “Come alive, 55!”

They will remember a husband who fell in love with a woman he had never met in person.

Frank was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, on October 23, 1941, to the late Samuel and Theresa Martino. Raised in a proud Italian-American family, he learned early the values that would define his life: loyalty, hard work, faith, family, and tradition.

And then there was Rina.

Frank fell in love with Caterina “Rina” Spadafore from a black-and-white photograph.

He and Rina began writing letters, and after a year of putting their hearts onto paper, Frank boarded a plane and flew to San Giovanni in Fiore, Italy, to meet the woman who had already captured his heart and soul.

When he saw her in person, he said it was love at first sight.

He was right.

Frank and Rina built a life together that lasted nearly 60 years; a life that was loud, fun, sometimes chaotic, always full of love, and, in many ways, the kind of love story that belongs in a movie.

Until the day he went to Heaven, no one adored a woman more than Frank adored his Rina.

She was his soulmate, his great love and the center of the life they built together.

Frank was also a provider in the truest sense of the word. He spent his working years as a machinist at Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a demanding factory that operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and, at its peak, produced approximately 180,000 bottles a day.

Frank didn't complain about the work.

He worked.

He rarely turned down an opportunity for overtime because he knew exactly what those extra hours meant: taking care of Rina and providing for their four children.

His family always came first.

His faith was another constant in his life. Frank had a deep and abiding faith in God and was a longtime member of Immaculate Conception Church in Fairmont.

But if there was one thing outside of his family that could make Frank light up, it was football.

He loved WVU.

He loved the Mountaineers.

And he loved the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His children would tell you that their dad didn't just support WVU; he truly bled blue and gold.

One of the highlights of his life came when he was given the opportunity to watch a WVU football game from the sidelines. But Frank didn't simply watch the game. He found himself walking out of the tunnel alongside the WVU marching band.

For a man who had spent his life cheering for the Mountaineers, it was a moment he never forgot.

Frank's life was defined by the people he loved and the people who loved him back.

He leaves behind his beloved wife and soulmate, Caterina “Rina” Spadafore Martino of Fairmont; his four children, Eugenia “Gina” Dahlia (Francis), Sandra Martino, Sammy Martino and Katrina Szarko; and his grandchildren, Sabrina and Nicolas Dahlia, Jacob and Autumn Szarko, and Ashley and Jessica Laing. Frank will also miss his seven great grandchildren, as well as his two sons-in-law, Matthew Szarko and James Francis.

He also leaves behind a large extended family and countless friends who, over the years, stopped being friends and simply became family.

That was another thing about Frank.

His circle was always getting bigger.

And perhaps that is because Frank understood something that too many people forget: You don't have to have the same last name to be family. Sometimes all it takes is kindness, loyalty, a good heart, and a willingness to show up.

Frank did all of those things.

He showed up.

He worked hard.

He loved fiercely.

He laughed loudly.

He cheered for his teams.

He loved his wife.

He adored his children and grandchildren.

And he lived his 84 years with an unmistakable amount of heart.

Near the end, Frank knew his time on Earth was becoming limited. Yet even then, he found a way to comfort the people who loved him most.

He repeated the words he had echoed throughout his life:

“It’s not goodbye… it’s see you later.”

And so, Frank, it isn't goodbye. It's see you later.

We hope when you enter those pearly gates, you have all those who have adored you from heaven chanting, “Come alive, 55.”

Family and Friends will be received at Domico Funeral Home, 414 Gaston Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16. A Catholic Funeral Service will be held at Domico Funeral Home on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., with Father Kishore Varaparla officiating. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.domicofh.com.