David Marentette, the Orion Township retiree and Vietnam veteran who died Oct. 28 from injuries sustained after a July hit-and-run, had moved to the area only a year earlier to be close to his grandkids in Oxford.
Marentette was a longtime resident of the Munising area in the Upper Peninsula, where he worked at the Kimberly Clark paper mill for 35 years.
In August of 2007, he moved into the Orion Cove apartment complex, located at 711 Kimberly, to be near family in Oxford, according to daughter Ronda Scotti.
Now, the family he moved downstate to be close to is coping with Marentette’s sudden death.
The 67-year-old Marentette was struck by a drunk driver while crossing M-24 on July 17.
‘He had a heart made of gold,? said Scotti, who has lived in Oxford with her husband, Jim, and their three kids for four years. ‘He loved the outdoors. He liked to have a good time with his friends. He was an avid sports fan.?
According to Scotti, Marentette was born in Ferndale, but moved to the U.P. when he was a child. His family ran a hunting resort along the Seney Stretch called The Pines.
When he was six, he was sent to school in Germfask. Marentette eventually went on to graduate from Munising High School. Afterward, he joined the Navy, where he served on the S.S. Merrick during the Vietnam War.
‘He’d fight for anything,? Scotti said.
She said her father fought long and hard through ten surgeries after the hit-and-run.
‘The doctors said a 30-year-old healthy person couldn’t have withstood what he did,? Scotti said.
According to Scotti, Marentette suffered fractures to both legs, a broken neck and bleeding from the brain.
After funeral services in the U.P. this past weekend, the family now faces a courtroom battle.
The driver of the car that allegedly killed Marentette is 27-year-old Pontiac resident Fermin Sanchez.
Police say Sanchez is an illegal alien from Mexico who was drunk and had children in the car with him when he allegedly struck Marentette.
Sanchez was previously charged in the 52-3 District Court with operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, felonious driving and child endangerment.
The charges were enhanced following Marentette’s death. According to Scotti, the trial will begin on Nov. 20.
‘The gentleman who hit my dad has no remorse,? Scotti said. ‘But I have every belief justice will be served.?