Robert Natiello: Award-Winning Marketer, Formerly Of Wyckoff

WYCKOFF, NJ — Robert Natiello, a township resident for 36 years and award-winning creator of national marketing campaigns, died July 3.

Natiello was 88. He died of complications of heart and lung disease, his family said in his obituary.

Natiello created national marketing campaigns for Fortune 100 companies, including General Electric, DuPont, Proctor and Gamble, and U.S. Steel. He received an Effie Award for marketing effectiveness for his work advertising the first home smoke alarm made by General Electric.

Later in his career, he produced New York's first weekly real estate television series, "Home Buying Made Easy," and New Jersey cable television's number one business program, "Real Estate and You."

Natiello was a graduate of Villanova University and earned Master's Of Business Administration from the Wharton School in University of Pennsylvania. He received the university's Alumni Medal in 1992 for outstanding service to the university.

He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of 1st Lt. before he was honorably discharged.

Later, after moving to Sedona, Arizona, he was named president of Sedona Jazz on the Rocks and helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for Arizona's school age musicians. He also served as President of the Northern Arizona Opera League.

Natiello was an accomplished writer and author. His short story "Dog Fight" was awarded first prize in Manhattan Media's 2009 Fiction Contest, and he received numerous awards from the Society of Southwestern Authors and the Arizona Authors Association. Four of his short stories earned a national Pushcart Prize nomination.

Natiello's song lyrics have been heard on TV and radio commercials and recorded on gold albums and singles.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Peggy; sons, Joseph, Peter, Michael, and Robert; a daughter, Anne; and 11 grandchildren.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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