George R. Marotta, a financial advisor, Hoover Institution research fellow, public servant, and World War II veteran, died on July 26, 2025, at the age of 98 in Palo Alto, California. He was known for his gregarious nature, clear thinking, and contrarian wisdom that shaped three careers and several generations of his family.
Born at home in 1926 in Scotia, New York, George grew up the fourth of five sons in a close-knit Italian American family, learning thrift, responsibility, and perseverance during the Depression. Those early years (sleeping under blankets in an uninsulated attic, tending a vast garden, and taking on odd jobs) formed the habits that marked his life.
Drafted in December 1944, he served in the U.S. Army in Japan. First assigned to the chaplains’ section on Kyushu, he later helped prepare daily court records for the International Military Tribunal in Tokyo before returning home in 1947. The experience deepened his patriotism and sharpened his sense of duty.
On the G.I. Bill, George finished a B.A. in political science (1950) and an M.A. in public administration (1951) at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, an education that opened the door to federal service.
He met his future wife, June Alison Mortlock, at Syracuse; they married in 1948 and began life together in a tiny university trailer, long on love and short on square footage. George and June raised three sons, a dog, a white mouse, a horde of gerbils, a swarm of wasps, a tank of fish, a bale of turtles, a snapping turtle, and an alligator. They shared 55 years of marriage until her death in 2003.
For twenty-six years, George served his country in Washington D.C. and abroad. He worked on the U.S. delegation to the United Nations in Paris (1951–52), spent eight years on President Eisenhower’s National Security Council staff, and, at the start of the Kennedy administration, helped launch the Peace Corps. Later posts included the U.S. Information Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (international security policy), and the Agency for International Development. His service was recognized with a Meritorious Honor Award for work during the 1968 Viet Cong offensive in Saigon and a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation in 1973. He also completed the State Department’s Senior Seminar in Foreign Affairs (1966–67).
In 1975, George joined Stanford University’s Hoover Institution as a research fellow, focusing on international finance and global capital markets. He encouraged scholars to reach a broader public through op-eds, taught an economics seminar at Stanford, and continued to travel and lecture widely. His articles appeared in major newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, San Jose Mercury News, and San Diego Union.
George’s third career grew out of a lifelong passion for prudent investing. In 1985, he and June founded Marotta Money Management in Palo Alto as a fee-only advisory firm, joining NAPFA early and championing fiduciary advice long before it was fashionable. He wrote frequently on markets and policy. He also embraced a disciplined, contrarian approach to rebalancing and risk.
His insights later helped inspire his son David Marotta, to open Marotta Wealth Management in Charlottesville, Virginia, which honors him each year on “Founder’s Day” (October 6), celebrating the birthday of the man who brought financial planning to the Marotta family. Today, his legacy in financial planning spans three generations. In addition to his son David, his granddaughter Megan Marotta Russell, who has worked for Marotta Wealth Management since 2005 and now serves as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, continues to carry his principles forward to the next generation of clients.
Away from work, George was a proud husband, father, and grandfather. He prized lively conversation, careful stewardship, and simple joys (lawn bowling among them). He mentored generously and carried himself with the humility of someone who had seen both war and peace up close.
His generosity was practical and profound: he funded the college educations of all ten of his grandchildren and was quick to support educational opportunities for his nieces, nephews, and extended family in Italy. He turned his thrift, investment wisdom, and financial discipline into lasting opportunities for others.
George is survived by a grateful family and a wide circle of friends, colleagues, clients, and students, including his second wife of 16 years, his three sons and their wives, 10 grandchildren and their spouses, and 19 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held September 26, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia at Redeemer Anglican Church. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to the Hoover Institution, Maxwell School at Syracuse University, or a charity of your choice in George’s memory.
You can share a memory with the family via our Contact us form.
To read more about George Marotta and his life, you can read our Founder’s Day article series.
Photo of George Marotta by David Marotta, taken in 2014 in DC during a trip to Annapolis visiting family.
