In Memoriam: Marty Orban

Chris Beytes

Third-generation nurseryman Marty Orban of Orban’s Nursery in Bradenton, Florida, passed away November 6 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was just 67.

Marty was born into a horticulture family that started with a florist shop in Cleveland, Ohio. Marty’s father, Bill, began growing poinsettias in the 1940s and moved the family to Bradenton in 1952. Marty graduated from the University of Florida with a horticulture degree and took over the family business in 1975, operating it until 2016 when he passed it along to the fourth generation, his son, Tyler.

Few growers have stuck with poinsettias as long as Marty. It remains their signature crop, with more than 250,000 plants sold through Publix, fundraisers and other Florida outlets. Orban’s has hosted a public poinsettia open house for 29 years; this year’s event honored Marty with fundraising for Lungevity, a leading private provider of research funding for lung cancer. GT