Obituary: Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, Aide to Steve Bellone

Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, passed away Sunday, Aug. 21.

He will be sorely missed and was loved by all. Funeral services will be held at the I.J. Morris Funeral Home, located at 21 East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills, on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 1 p.m.

Interment will take place immediately following at the Pinelawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Farmingdale.

The Smithtown native served as the director of communications for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

Patch wrote a story on Martella in 2010 highlighting his ambition to move up in politics. He was the youngest trustee in the history of the Smithtown Board of Education, just one year after graduating from Boston University.

The story was titled “Young Man on a Mission.”

Several public officials commented on his passing, including Bellone:

Scott Martella dedicated his all too brief life to public service and to helping others. He is known across Long Island as a leader and a great man. The hundreds of people Scott has worked with over the years and the thousands of people whose lives he has positively impacted would describe him as nothing short of an amazing person. I asked Scott to join my team because I admired his intelligence, his wisdom and love of community and people. I will miss Scott's smile, his advice, his laugh, his sense of humor, his dedication and his drive.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost their lives and suffered injuries in this horrible accident as well as their families. I extend my deepest sympathies, prayers and support to Scott's family and ask that their privacy be respected at this unimaginably difficult time.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of those lost in the accident that occurred on Sunday morning on the Long Island Expressway. While we are still learning more, at least three souls were killed and eight more injured in this terrible tragedy.
I personally knew Scott Martella who was among those killed in the crash as he served in my administration for more than four years. Scott was a dedicated, beloved public servant who worked day in and day out to improve the lives of his fellow New Yorkers. Scott was always full of big ideas to help solve the toughest challenges of the day, and he was deeply respected for his strong work ethic, candor and fighting spirit. Long Island is a better place today because of his service and dedication to the community.
I join all New Yorkers in mourning the passing of those lives lost, and my thoughts and prayers are with all Long Islanders during this extremely difficult time.

Former assemblyman Marc Alessi:

I heard about this accident and was horrified of what I heard, I did not know until reading the paper today that my friend Scott Martella was killed in it. Anyone who knew him is heartbroken today. He was amazing, unless you knew him you can't understand just how tragic this is for our entire community. He would have been a big part of our future. I hope in some way through his memory he still will be. Rest in Peace Scott.

Read Marella’s full obituary here.

• 29-Year-Old Man From Northport Who Was Aide to Steve Bellone Killed in LIE Crash

Patch file photo