"He told me during the trip and I quote: "ya know Larry I do a lot of things for a lot of people and it is rare for someone to do something for me and I don't even know you all that well nor have I ever done anything for you". That comment will always stay with me as he was indeed a very special human being which I know everyone of you would agree."
Larry, this reminds me of the first time I visited Marty's home. I met Marty at York, and when I told him we were fellow New Englanders and that I'm frequently in the Boston area, he immediately said, "Why haven't you been to my house? Come by any time." The first time I went to his house, I didn't want to show up empty-handed, but wondered what in the world to get a guy like Marty who already seems to have everything he wants. I finally decided to get Marty & Dotty 2 passes to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad in Portland. It wasn't much, but I could tell they both appreciated it, probably because he was always doing for others.
When I arrived at Marty's house, he had another visitor named Ronnie, and Marty was working on one of Ronnie's trains. Ronnie told me that if I'm going to visit Marty, I have to bring him coffee. From that day on, every time I would stop by to visit Marty & Dotty (usually about every 5 or 6 months), I would first stop at Dunkin Donuts to get coffee for them. I have no idea if Ronnie was serious or joking, but I always brought coffee to Marty's house when I would visit. I'll always remember the way Marty's face would light up when he saw that I had brought them coffee.
Like you, Larry, I knew Marty a short time compared to many on this forum, but I'll always remember him.
John
