This past June, Marple lost a pillar of the community: Marty Godfrey. Not only was Marty a longtime Marple resident, but he also founded and ran the popular local Mrs. Marty’s Deli for nearly 50 years. Marty was also dedicated to his community. He was president of the Media Business and Professional Association and Temple Sholom, a member of the Marple Rotary and a founding member and president of the Marple Business and Professional Association. In 2021, he served as the Grand Marshall of the 4th of July parade as a public recognition of his ongoing community service.
Born on April 4, 1944, in Philadelphia, PA, Marty and his family moved to Broomall when he was 15. Growing up, Marty worked in his dad’s supermarket and learned a lot about the food industry. He also learned to cook with his grandmother, who spent a lot of time with him while his parents worked long hours in their grocery store.
Marty was a student at Marple Newtown High School (MNHS), which is where he met his sweetheart, Marilyn, who he was married to for 59 years. After Marty graduated from MNHS in 1962, he went on to study Liberal Arts at Temple University. He soon realized he was more interested in the food industry, so he changed course and took classes in food marketing at St. Joseph’s University.
After they got married, Marty and Marilyn both earned their real estate licenses and sold real estate for a few years. In the late 60s, Marty’s childhood friend talked him into opening a nursery school together. Despite knowing very little about running a school, he did it anyway. With Marilyn’s help with bookkeeping, they started Marson’s Nursery School in Media, and they eventually expanded to three locations that they ran successfully for many years. Marty did all this while simultaneously working with his father at his food market. Marilyn worked as a Registered Nurse at Jefferson Hospital since 1987 and later in the neonatal unit at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.
In 1976, the Godfreys opened Marty’s Media Market. Eventually, as chain stores got bigger and offered more selections, Marty decided he needed to make changes to the market. He knocked down a wall and added a dining room, which became the popular spot to eat in downtown Media, known as Mrs. Marty’s Deli. In 1987, Marty got a great offer for a location in Lawrence Park Shopping Center, so he sold his building in Media and moved the restaurant to Broomall. He incorporated into the deli’s menu some of his grandmother’s recipes. During that time Marty and Marilyn were raising their three children Betsy, Jennifer and Jonathan, who often helped out in the restaurant.
Marty was the heart and soul of Mrs. Marty’s Deli for 50 years. He was always ready with a smile, song, joke or story for his customers. Marty’s daughter Betsy said that her dad thrived on talking to his customers. “He was such a people person,” she said. “That was also his way of doing something positive in the community, to make someone smile.” Marilyn agreed. “His favorite part of running the restaurant was socializing with his patrons and staff. It made me happy to see how much he enjoyed it.” Owning the business, Marty didn’t have a lot of free time, but Marilyn said that didn’t bother him. “The store was his life and he loved it,” she said.
Giving back to the community was always very important to Marty. Each year during the holidays, he participated in the Rotary’s program to donate meals and gift baskets for families in need. He supplied the hot chocolate and cookies at the annual tree lighting ceremony in Veterans Park. And for many years, as part of the Junior Initiative in local high schools, Marty spoke to high school students about how to run a business. “He loved connecting with students, especially at MNHS, his alma mater,” said Jonathan. “He really enjoyed sharing his experience working in the food industry.”
On June 1, 2023, Marty passed away after a long courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Even at the end of his life he continued to think of others and donated his body to science at the Anatomy Gifts Registry.
Marty’s daughter Jennifer (Taranto) is now running the restaurant along with partners, Marge Lehr, a 5-year dedicated manager and Danny Allen, a devoted employee for the past 20 years. Since she was 12 years old, Jennifer enjoyed helping out in the business in both Media and Broomall and was one Marty’s first waitresses. After many years of living in New York for college and work, she returned to the area to run the business and keep her father’s legacy alive. “Being here at Mrs. Marty’s makes me feel like he’s still with me,” said Jennifer. “I love that customers continue to come in and share stories about what my dad meant to them.” Jennifer plans to continue to do the good work in the community that her dad started. “I know I have big shoes to fill!”