Brunswick-Martin R. Desmarais, age 75, of McLellan St. died
peacefully at his home Friday, Oct. 5th. He was born in Brunswick
July 12, 1943, the only child of Clarence and Marie Anne Desrosiers Desmarais.
He attended St. John’s School and graduated from Brunswick High School in 1961.
In his senior year, Marty came in 2nd in diving in the state swim
finals and represented Naval Air Station-Brunswick at the New England Golden
Gloves semi-finals. After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was
a court reporter in the Judge Advocate General Corps in Seoul, Korea.
After his discharge, Marty worked several years at Auerbach
Shoe, starting in the shipping department and ending as assistant purchasing
agent. Though the shoe factory was one block from his home, he often managed to
arrive late to work. After Auerbach closed, he was purchasing agent for W. S.
Libby in Lewiston.
Marty earned an Associate’s Degree in Business
Administration from the University of Maine in Portland-Gorham in 1974.
On June 3, 1977, he married Barbara A. Bernier, after four
years of courtship. They made their home in a tiny apartment behind the
business he started in 1976, Marty’s Music. He played keyboards and bass pedals
in several bands, most notably the Maine Edition. He also performed for many
wedding receptions with his wife as the duo The Classics II.
Marty and his daughter De spent many happy hours boating,
swimming, and diving from cliffs and bridges all over mid-coast Maine.
He retired from Marty’s Music in October 2008 after learning
he had three distinct cancers: prostate, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and renal cell
carcinoma. Proclaiming himself the healthiest dying man you’d ever meet, he
embraced treatments including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and autoimmune
therapy which provided him a decade of life lived fully and without regrets.
Surviving are his wife Barbara and their daughter Denise,
both of Brunswick.
Known for gathering the neighbors’ dogs for playdates with
his rescue dog Maggie, Marty requested that family and friends remember him by
donating to Midcoast Humane Society (https://midcoasthumane.org/donate/).
Per his request, there will be no service. Arrangements are
by Stetson’s Funeral Home 12 Federal St. Brunswick, Maine 04011. To share your
thoughts and condolences with Marty’s family please visit stetsonsfuneralhome.com.