Marty and I met in 1989 when I moved from Boston to the Bay Area. Coincidentally I met both Dave House, Mike Aymar and Marty in the shower. We all worked out at Supreme Court on Mathilda in Sunnyvale. No of us really knew what everyone did from a work standpoint but we were bonded by exercise and hanging out in the locker room. Marty and I became fast friends once he found out I liked sports and golf. Marty had access to many of the local sporting events and always offered tickets. He also had me out to Sharon Heights to play and we enjoyed many a day out there. Dave House joined us a few times but it was evident that Dave was way better at helicopter skiing than golf. We always had a great time, although it took longer than 4 hours with all the introductions Marty made on my behalf. I always wondered how there were coolers of Budweiser around the course and Marty told me he delivered Black Mountain Water in the front door and it came out the back in coolers of Bud!
Once Marty and Mary moved down to PB, he continued to invite me down to MPCC. He generously let me invite other friends and we continued enjoying golf and laughs. Several years ago Marty asked me about helping with Red Sox/Yankees tickets for a Friday evening in September. This was a request from David Vivolo and his son who was playing in the US Amateur at ” The Country Club ” in Brookline MA. When I called my mom ( she worked for the Red Sox ) and requested a few tickets, she responded ” Larry it’s the middle of a Pennant race in September and it’s the Yankees in town! I told her it was a favor to Marty. The next day she had the tickets from John Henry ( Owner of Red Sox ) She knew how important this was to me. Marty had a way for helping everyone else and this was a small way to pay it back.
My last conversation with Marty was Wednesday the 29th of January. We had a great conversation and I could tell he was fading fast. Before I could tell him I loved him he told me he loved me and he said to say hi to my wife Susan.
There’s certain people in life that appreciate everything they have and Marty was a one of kind. He was the older brother ( I was the oldest of six ) I never had. I will miss my friend of over 30 years and cherish all the good times we had together. His favorite quote to me was ” I didn’t get cheated “.
I will miss my special friend. I love you Marty.
Best regards,
Larry Copponi
Marty Ruberry: A Celebration of Life 