NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania (MyValleyTributes) – Every family has a story to tell, welcome to ours. Martin “Marty” E. Gould was born August 2, 1958, in New Castle, Pennsylvania. His parents, Everett and Magdalene (Zurasky) Gould raised him in Shenango Township, living and working alongside siblings and cousins on the farm of his maternal grandparent. He enjoyed summer visits to the farms of his paternal relatives in Indiana and Michigan.

During Marty’s educational years at Shenango Area School District, he excelled academically and forged friendships. While in school his passion for practical jokes erupted. He requested that in his obituary he would like to apologize to all of the 7th graders who purchased elevator passes from him. Especially since in the 1970s the school building had no elevator. This confession should also include that he and one friend were solely responsible for swiping over 100 realtors for sale signs, then during one night set up the signs to cover all of the school’s property between the Ellwood and Old Pittsburgh Roads. Before his high school graduation in 1976, Marty planned his quick getaway by enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

His Navy career spanned ten years. During this time, he sailed around the world twice on the USS Enterprise and visited every continent, and along with his squadron, remained at Gonzo Station for the Iran Hostage Crisis. Following the crisis, he was assigned to teach at the then Navy Base Miramar, nicknamed Fightertown, USA or Top Gun.

When on land he enjoyed competing with his friends in deep sea fishing competitions. He also appreciated traveling the USA in his VW Bus to camp, hike, fish and visit with family and friends.

In 1987 he returned to the family homestead to become a farmer. His greatest joy was spending time with his 15 nieces and nephews, as he taught them how to wrestle, play sports, fish, hunt, and work hard.

Marty would like for his surviving siblings to know the following: his brother, Dale (Sensarah) Gould, of Shenango Township, it was his idea to toilet paper your yard and soap the windows. Dorothy Gould of Ellwood City, he is sorry that you were the one who fell in the outhouse hole and yes he moved the outhouse, not our Dad. To Maggie (Will) Bishop of State College, he is keeping his promise to take to his grave the names of those who ran the 2:00 a.m. pitstop, during a snowstorm, to replace the baloney skin rubber on your car with brand new tires. This non-confession will prove that he truly got the last laugh. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Charlotte Fletcher. 

In the mid-1990s Marty began to struggle with mental illness. Following being hospitalized he shared “If I knew I would just need to take one pill a day to help me feel good again, I would have gotten help a long time ago.” Eventually, his form of mental illness became harder to manage, and to obtain daily support he moved into the Human Services Center Westfield Facility, Pulaski, Pennsylvania. As a 19-year resident, he enjoyed his quality of life, housemates, staff and stray cats.

Following a brief battle with lung cancer, Marty passed away at UPMC Jameson on Thursday, July 27, 2023. 

In lieu of flowers, please send donations, earmarked for Westfield home activities, to the Human Service Center, 130 W. North Street, New Castle, PA 16101.

Marty’s only funeral request is to be buried with full military honors. His urn will be interred in the veteran section of Parkside Cemetery in Shenango Township.  

Arrangements handled by J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc.