Martin "Marty" Brian Stebbins

Everybody loved former WESH-Channel 2 meteorologist Marty Stebbins, according to his friends and former colleagues.

“It didn’t matter age, gender, creed, color — everybody felt like they knew Marty personally,” said Tom James, Stebbins’ friend and former WESH colleague. “He wasn’t the cardboard cutout talking head in a fancy suit TV guy. He was a very affable everyman. Marty was ‘The People’s Weatherman.’ ”

Whether a colleague was nervous about a cross-country move, a friend needed a ride back and forth to a Daytona Beach mechanic or a local group requested his presence at an event, Stebbins was there to help.

“He dropped what he was doing immediately and came to your aid, whatever it was,” said his longtime friend and former WESH co-worker Ricky Scarwid, who visited Stebbins every Wednesday. “He’d always go out of his way to help somebody.”

Stebbins died at age 81 on Aug. 4 in his Altamonte Springs home with his wife, Rosie Zimmerman, and Scarwid close by.

“Marty the life of the party. He just was so smart and so witty, funny, vivacious,” Zimmerman said. “He left a big hole in my soul. I really feel like something is missing.”

Stebbins began his Central Florida radio career in 1967. He worked for WHOO-96.5 FM, playing classical music from 10 p.m. to midnight and went right over to WHOO-990 AM playing rock ’n’ roll music until 6 a.m., according to cflradio.net. After he wrapped up those shifts in Pine Hills, he’d trek to Apopka to play six hours of religious tapes for WTLN-1520 AM. He later worked for WKIS-740 AM.

In November 1969, he made the move from radio to TV, working for WDBO-Channel 6 (now WKMG) as a reporter. From there, he relocated to Houston in 1977 for a reporting and weather position at KHOU-Channel 11.

Missing Central Florida, Stebbins applied for a job at WESH in 1988 and told then-WESH director Steve Ramsey, “If you don’t hire me, it’ll be the biggest regret of your life,” WESH reporter Greg Fox recalled with a chuckle. And so, Stebbins’ 17-year run at WESH commenced.

He brought a lot of fun to the set, often dressing up in everything from bunny ears to Santa hats to promote events or causes mentioned during the “Marty’s World” segments of his weekend broadcasts.

“He wanted to be the character in the moment so that the people at home got the visual as well as the information,” Fox said. “There are very few people who move the needle in a business that has so many on-air people, and Marty moved the needle in this market. And that to me, made him a media treasure in Central Florida.”

A University of Central Florida graduate, Tom James was the beneficiary of Stebbins’ mentorship when he landed his first job out of school as an associate producer at WESH.

“He was always a mentor to me and to many young people in the TV business, simply by way of making them feel like they were an important part of the team,” James said. “It didn’t matter who you were — so anybody from the top guy all the way down to the fresh faces — Marty treated everybody equally.”

He brought a lot of fun to the set, often dressing up in everything from bunny ears to Santa hats to promote events or causes mentioned during the “Marty’s World” segments of his weekend broadcasts.

“He wanted to be the character in the moment so that the people at home got the visual as well as the information,” Fox said. “There are very few people who move the needle in a business that has so many on-air people, and Marty moved the needle in this market. And that to me, made him a media treasure in Central Florida.”

A University of Central Florida graduate, Tom James was the beneficiary of Stebbins’ mentorship when he landed his first job out of school as an associate producer at WESH.

“He was always a mentor to me and to many young people in the TV business, simply by way of making them feel like they were an important part of the team,” James said. “It didn’t matter who you were — so anybody from the top guy all the way down to the fresh faces — Marty treated everybody equally.”

Throughout his career, Stebbins not only cared about his work but also his co-workers.

When James got his first sportscasting job in a small Virginia market, Stebbins made the trek to Charlottesville to surprise him. When a WESH colleague moved to Los Angeles, Stebbins went with him to ensure he was properly settled.

“He was one of the most personable people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with because he didn’t just come in, punch the clock and do the job,” Fox said. “He came in to make sure that everybody around him was doing good, and if they weren’t, you know, he tried to help them out.”

Later at WESH — and until his retirement in January 2005 — he took on the “Iron Man Shift,” in which he worked the sunrise, noon, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts for a total of 40 hours in two days.

“I can’t imagine how he survived with those shifts,” said Scarwid. “Then he would take off ... to New York or drive to Houston. ... He was just always on the go.”

Stebbins loved to travel. He visited 40 countries — his favorite places were South America and Key West, according to Scarwid. He was a car guy who enjoyed driving his 1949 Ford Woody or putting the top down for a cruise in his “red sled,” the Corvette.

“He was so easy to travel with,” Zimmerman said. “He was the love of my life, he was my companion.”

He also cared greatly for his community, attending many events throughout the region.

“He would go to these events and just be swarmed by people because, you know, he was so much of an everyman, and people loved him,” James said. “If Marty decided he wanted to run for mayor of just about any town in Central Florida back in the day, I’m pretty sure he could have won by a landslide.”

James said he’ll miss the man he calls “the real deal.”

“Marty was a passionate guy that had a true, real heart,” he said, “that really sets Marty at the top of the list in Central Florida news history.”

Zimmerman said she will miss his laugh, wit and compassion the most.

“He would do just about anything to help his fellow human being, never expecting anything in return,” Zimmerman said. “He was the most selfless person.”