Marty Ondrovic said that he and his wife, Dolly, both had previous marriages whose spouses had died.
A three-sport athlete at Emmaus, Marty Ondrovic, tragically passed away on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at the age of 92. However, the cause of death has not been revealed.
Rick Mondschein took to his official Facebook handle and mourned the death of Marty. He wrote,
He was simply the very, very best. RIP.
Rick Mondschein
Mike Litzenberger, who serves at Stanley Black & Decker, also offered his heartfelt condolences and said Marty helped him to become the best umpire. He wrote,
He helped me become the best umpire that I could be. RIP Marty.
Mike Litzenberger
Services for Ondrovic will be held on Tuesday at St. Ann’s Church in Emmaus, with calling hours from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11.
Ondrovic lettered in baseball, football, and track for four years before graduating in 1951.
Marty spent 43 years as a PIAA football official, from 1960 to 2003, and received an award for officiating the Stroudsburg-East Stroudsburg Thanksgiving game for 30 years.
He worked at area basketball games for 30 years and was inducted into the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter in 2016.
His final baseball game was a middle school baseball game in 2014 between Raub and Harrison-Morton at Union Terrace.
Marty Ondrovic And His Wife Dolly Were Married For Around 23 Years
Legendary baseball umpire Marty Ondrovic was married to Dolly Stellato Ondrovic in 2002.
During one of the interviews, Marty said that he and his wife both had previous marriages whose spouses had died.
In 2015, Dolly attended the event in which Marty was honored by the Anthracite Baseball Chapter.
She always supported Marty in balancing his professional and personal life. Sadly, their married life ended after 23 years following the tragic death of Marty.
Amazingly Marty Ondrovic went on field between innings for brief exchange w/1st base ump he knows from CCP #lvvarsity pic.twitter.com/zBh0smVUZu
— Keith Groller (@KeithGroller) August 11, 2015
Dolly was born to her mother, Ellen, and her father, Joseph Stellato. She grew up with her brother, Louis N. Stellato.
Sadly, her father, Joseph, passed away in 1988.
On the other hand, her mother, Ellen, 99, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2011, at Holy Family Manor in Bethlehem.
Funeral services were held on Monday, May 16, 2011, at the Connell Funeral Home, 245 E. Broad St., Bethlehem, PA, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 1861 Catasauqua Rd., Bethlehem, PA 18018.
Ellen was the co-owner and operator of the Cakle Shop on Main St. in Bethlehem from 1959 to 1967 and also worked at Muriel Dress Co. from 1949 to 1958.
Marty And Dolly Ondrovic Each Had Three Children From Their Previous Marriage
From Marty’s previous marriage, he had three children: Michael, Chrisanne, and Barbara Ondrovic.
On the other hand, Dolly’s three children from her previous marriage have kept their identities private.
According to Chrisanne’s Facebook profile, she is originally from Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Bend, Oregon.
She went to Emmaus High School and later graduated from Penn State University.
Recently, Chrisanne announced that Marty would be buried in his umpire’s uniform, along with a baseball that he had rubbed down himself.
Before he is laid to rest, his casket will pass by Emmaus Community Park and the ball field where he worked many games over the years.
On the other hand, Marty’s other children have stayed away from the media spotlight.
However, they are mourning the death of their supportive and devoted father, Marty Ondrovic.
Additionally, Marty and Dolly had eight grandchildren.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Even though Ondrovic was a Phillies fan, he became a fixture with the Yankee Fan Club and was the life of the party on the club’s famous road trips to places like Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, and St. Louis.
- He had the opportunity to meet and mentor many professional baseball umpires during his time working in the umpires’ room for the IronPigs, where he’d rub down dozens of baseballs before each game and interact with the umpires working the game.
- Longtime area baseball umpire and football official Rick Mondschein nominated Ondrovic for the Hall of Fame.
