BOE Member Martin Unofficial Caretaker of Vince Lombardi Grave

Parsippany Board of Education member Gary Martin gained national attention recently for an interesting extracurricular activity.

Twenty-five years ago, Martin visited Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown Township, where he found the gravesite of one of his heroes, legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi. He saw the headstone that marked the final resting space of Lombardi and his wife, Marie, as well as the stone for the coach's parents. He marveled at being so close to a man who played a big part of his childhood.

But Martin was not thrilled by what he saw there.

"It was overgrown," Martin remembered. "So I cleaned it up, got it looking nice, and then came back about once a month just to make sure it was in good shape."

Martin continued what he considered a tribute to a man he admired for a quarter-century with almost no one knowing about it.

That changed two weeks ago when he visited the Lombardi gravesite with a friend.

"I've had back surgery, so I don't go as much anymore," he explained. "Maybe four or so times a year now. And because of my back, I can't get as much done as I used to. That's why I brought Irene with me. She took a picture of me with a rake, but she did most of the work that day."

Still, it was Martin, a retired Montville police officer and Parsippany native, who was noticed there by Lori Keck, who happened to be the former secretary of none other than Vince Lombardi.

Keck and a friend took Martin to lunch and heard his story. Then she shared the news with Mike Vandermause, a writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, who then shared the story with, essentially, the world.

Among those who saw the story of a New York Jets fan who spent 25 years toiling for free in honor of his favorite NFL coach were members of the Middletown Knights of Columbus chapter, which is named for Vincent T. Lombardi.

Apparently the Lombardi Council had a longstanding relationship with Vince Lombardi's surviving family members. The council had taken on the role of caretaker for the coach's gravesite. The council was not pleased to hear that the grave had been, as Martin was quoted as saying in Vandermause's piece, "in total disarray."

"I've never seen the grave in disarray," said Al Fiorello, a trustee and seven-year member of the council.  "We've been taking care of the grave for as long as I have been here. Before this, I had never heard of Gary Martin."

According to Fiorello, the council sends someone to spruce up the area surrounding the Lombardi gravesite "a couple of times a year." He said it is certainly possible that the K of C landscaper and Martin had never crossed paths.

"I don't believe the site was in disarray, but that may be in part because of the work Mr. Martin did," Fiorello said. "We want it neat, respectful and clean. If he's a fan and wants to help, that's great."

The Knights of Columbus member also had a proposition for Martin.

"We are a Roman Catholic service organization," Fiorello said. "If he's Catholic, we'd love to interview him for membership."

Martin was surprised when he heard about the invitation.

"I am touched and honored, " he said. "But I'm not a Roman Catholic."

He thanked the organization just the same. And despite his newfound fame, which he said he doesn't particularly enjoy, Martin vowed to continue doing what he can to keep the gravesite clean and to pay tribute to his favorite coach. He does so with the Knights' blessing, as a now knowingly collaborative effort.

"I would like to see a little trophy in front of it," Martin said. "Coach Lombardi deserves one. I mean, the Super Bowl  trophy is named after him. That ought to tell you how much he means to the game."