Marty was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. (And so will his horrendous jokes--Balticon masquerades just won't ever be the same. I can't imagine anyone else in his place there!)  I'll always be expecting to see his smiling face in the halls at any con I attend--he was such a fixture, always cheerful, always friendly, even when he was in a hurry.
Goodbye, friend. Still can't believe you've left us.

We will miss you Marty......   especially at Shore Leave and Farpoint Cons.  You, your contributions and your creative energy can never be replaced.  RIP!

Martin was a good friend to everyone and a fabulous business associate. Very few men have integrity as their middle name. Martin did. You are missed by the Froggys Fog family.  Deepest sympathies.

Marty's smile, his willingness to go out of his way to be helpful, his care for others mark my memory of that good man.

It's clear that I barely even comprehended the range of friendship Marty brought into this world. I take particular note how many young people--my sons included--are saddened by his passing, that he touched their lives. So sorry to hear you left us.

Marty you were an amazing individual, I got to see in person just how awesome you really truly were. Through the bad vampire jokes, you made us cringe and giggle. My first and only Masquerade actually being on stage, you said you loved my costume, I appreciated that especially from you. I will never forget the year when I dressed as a bubble wrap fairy and passed bubble wrap to everyone in the audience. When you came out instead of clapping everyone popped away! You changed your normal speech from cell phones to bubble wrap popping and I will never forget that. I have the video and I will cherish it always. That was my immortality as to me you will always and forever be immortal. Love you Marty, see you on the other side, save me some vampire jokes!

You were always a source of joy, inspiration, and support... for everyone.  i cannot begin to express how much you will be missed.
in or out of "persona" you were a joy to be around.

I didn't know Marty, but I was in several of the masquerades he MC'd.  It was obvious why everyone seemed to like him and why he was sought after as an MC.  A performer who didn't need to go too far over the top to get the results.

Marty, I'll never forget the day we met at a Balticon. Pat introduced us.  Then at the masquerade, when I was in heavy makeup as Savah from Elfquest, He announced the costume and name, looked at me, and said "I'm looking for Pam Osborne". I looked at him with a smile and said "I AM Pam Osborne."  He never recognized me with the makeup. It made my evening!

Thanks for your unsung (my fault) contribution to fanzine fandom, Marty - for your help, and for good company.

I recall the first time I heard Marty MC a masquerade: the vampire cape and the cheesy, but still funny, vampire jokes. I never remember jokes but one of his I did remember and told for years afterward.  I will miss the old vampire and his humor and friendliness.

Although we did not have much time together, I am glad that I found you. You were an inspiration to me even across the miles. I will keep a piece of you in my heart forever.

Marty, Uncle Vlad, you meant more to me than even I realized. Always a staple at the Castle. I looked to you for approval unknowingly. You never had a harsh word to say, about anything. I will miss you in the cast room,  and in my life. You were truly one of the great ones.

Go on now Marty.  You and Bobbi have a lot to do.  The angels need new outfits and no one does it as well as you.  It has been an honor to know you and Bobbi.  Save a few jokes for us...

Marty,you nurtured my interest in costuming by bringing the Balticon masquerade out of the basement and onto the stage where it belonged. Thank you for MC'ing my small masquerade at Unicon in the mid-80's. Thank you for being one of the inventors of the lawa and the GCFCG. Thank you for advice on embroidery machines and where to find them. Thank you for many things, but mostly being my friend.

I remember.  In the end that is all you can say, "I remember". I remember his laugh, his unfailing courtesy, his sly humor, his incredible craftsmanship.  I envied his talents but not with malice but because they seemed effortless.  He goes shining into the light.

Marty, masquerades won't be the same without you. I'm going to miss hearing your voice. You were an ambassador of costuming and the lack of your presence will be felt by all of us who knew you.

Marty, you made fandom and costuming fun and inclusive for everyone. Thanks for being such a great person. We will all miss you.

Marty, thank you my friend for the years of bad vampire jokes, For your amazing inspiration and unbelievable costuming, Thank you for positive zeal and fervor for life as it often lifted the spirits of those around you.  For your generous time fostering, encouraging, teaching and supporting costumers of all ages from everywhere...you have always been there for us all as a brother, father, friend and teacher.  We will miss you so much </3

Marty helped usher many into the fold of Fandom, and made them feel welcomed. He will be missed!

I sat at a table and helped him attach ribbons to cards for his Assassins Guild at NADWCON just a few weeks ago.  We talked about life, the universe, and everything, and it was wonderful because we'd always chat in passing at other conventions but this time we actually talked.  I may have only known him for a nanosecond of his life, but it's a nanosecond I feel truly blessed by.  Conventions just won't be the same without you Marty.  I always looked forward to seeing your wide smile, getting one of your bear hugs, and hearing your awful vampire jokes.  You always reminded me of my grandfather (although he wouldn't have understood the whole vampire thing).  I'll miss you.

For over thirty years of conventioneering, wherever, whenever in the Mid-Atlantic, Marty Gear was there to deliver his inimitable talent as host and MC for costume calls. At first look, I thought his act a schtick only to be astonished at his wit and dramatic flair. He was Count Gore DeVol, Johnny Carson, and Brian Blessed all rolled into one! So many of my friends were inspired by him to pursue their dreams in the creative arts and his legacy will endure vampire-like for years to come. Now he exits for a greater stage...Roll up! Roll up!

What do vampires call a blood mobile?
Meals on wheels.

Goodbye, Mary. We will all miss you, your laughter, and your love. See you on the other side, one day.

Marty loved long hair.  For 25 years I would come up behind him and flip my hair over his shoulder.  Then I cut it short.  It took 5 years for it to grow back long enough for me to flip it back over his shoulder.  I'm glad I was able to do it again the last time I saw him.  

Marty was a wonderful human being.  I'm glad he was in my life.  I wish he still was.

My dear Marty...what can I say that hasn't been said? When I first came to fandom, he was one the first people I met and one of the first to support my weirdness. He was a fast fan of my work, and kept me motivated to stay in the scene. more than 20 years on,I don't know how to continue without his support, and his love, and his energy for the art of costuming. He gave so much of himself, as did his dear wife. The world has lost someone special. But to his family and his friends, one of which I am priveleged to call myself, he will never leave us. His spirit will live on in the art he so advocated, and in the children he so adoringly mentored. Sleep well, Marty.Love you.

Marty, I really don't believe this. You can't be gone.  So I will see you again, in that big masquerade in the sky.

My love to you and Bobbi

I was privliged to have met Marty, to share his knowledge, his joy and hos love of the craft of costuming.  It saddens me to know of all those who will never be able to learn what he had to teach.  He will be missed.

Marty gave of himself freely. I feel honored and among the lucky ones to have know him. He mentored me and taught me, helped me to create and to expand my own knowledge. I want to say thank you for being such a great friend.

Marty Gear was always generous with his time, talents, and resources. He brought the Balticon masquerade out of the basement. He brought Costume-Con to the East Coast. He demonstrated that you could costume--and costume well!--your whole life. Those of us who entered Gear-run masquerades knew that we would receive the highest possible quality of sound, lighting, green room, and other amenities. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have Marty as MC knew that he would be a consummate professional. And for those of us who worked with him in the Corporate sector, he was a consummate professional there as well.

I've known Marty for 30 years, and he was one of the pillars of fandom as I knew it. Always there, always dependable. He will be much missed.

I knew Marty through conventions and costuming. For years I was his stage manager at masquerades. One of the finest compliments I got was when he said he never worried how things were running. I didn't have to tell him that the next contestant was ready - I only had to stop him when there was a problem. He never worried -- and I was honored he felt that way. 

Besides the conventions, I knew him through the Costuming Guild and visited his house now and then. I remember  his cats - especially Twitkitty who jumped on my back.  

I saw him last at Farpoint in February. I expected to see him in two weeks at Shore Leave.  

He was a great, great guy. RIP

A ripple went thru the universe with Marty passing.  He was a fixture, a "father", a friend to many.  HIs loss will be felt by many a generation.

Marty was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.  He was a man who knew the true meaning of the word friend.  I will always remember Uncle Vlad fondly, remember his awesome hugs and his laugh.  I will always remember his joy with costuming and passing on that knowledge and love.  The world is a bit dimmer now that the bright light that was Marty has left this side of the veil.

He called us "the daughters of his heart" and we were blessed to know him for more than 20 years and doubly-blessed to share his Thanksgivings every year for the last eight years.

I've had the privilege of considering Marty a dear friend since the early 1980s.  He was always smiling, always welcoming, always helpful, and always the consummate professional.  His loss is not yet real to me.  I suspect when I get to Shore Leave and he's not there it will finally hit me full force and they'll probably find me crying backstage at the masquerade.  Marty, I'll miss you.  Clear night skies and ample blood supplies, my beloved vampire.

We will miss Marty on many levels: friend, fellow club member, fellow concom, and all around dependable nice guy.
Martin & Shirley

To us, Marty will always be remembered as the heart of the Balticon Masquerade, although we know he was so much more. It was always heartening to know we had his support as we tried to bring ICG standards to cosplays on the East Coast, and every time we tried to expand our costuming repertoire. He was a great storyteller, and will be greatly missed.

One of the kindest, wisest, friendliest & most amusing gentlemen it has ever been my privilege to know. The world is poorer without him in it.

It's only been a few days, but I'm missing him already. I didn't get a chance to see him much this year except when working with him at Balticon. Marty was my friend for over 15 years. I will always remember our times together either working a masquerade or just sitting together over dinner sharing stories, adventures, and the myriad interests we had in common.

Although many of us have talked about Marty for the God of Costuming he was, I think that what will always remain with me the most is how in being in his home over the years I learned about the bottomless pool of love and caring that he and Bobbi shared for each other and the many, many extended family members. Each time we sat and talked I'd hear about another person whom they took into their lives and gave hope, healing, and humor. 

He was a consummate businessman, and a great lover of technology. There was never a time the we didn't have something new technology-wise that he wanted to discuss. I believe his interests made me better in my business as I worked to learn more for those times when he asked questions, which was every day in his life.

As I write this I remember a convention, when he and I created a masquerade out of nothing. We were there to help with tech, but the person in charge of the costume contest needed a hand. He and I had worked together so many times and so closely, that like magic, we pulled together an actual event. I'd never felt closer to my friend and teammate than on that occasion.
 
Beyond it all, he was my friend. Rest in peace my vampiric pal.

Marty was a true mentor to those lucky local costumers-- always generous with his time,  skills, equipment, books, supplies, new ideas, work space...  
No one would rejoice in someone's costume successes like Marty.  He was inordinately proud of all of us.

Marty was so much of a constant for so many East Coast annual conventions that he became indispensable.  He built up the Balticon Masquerade to be the envy of many conventions.  He believed in outreach to all the corners of the costume community, and it's because of this that the spectrum of costuming extends as far as it does.  Others will speak to Marty's place as a founder of many aspects of our playground;  his sense of humor, his myriad interests, he was truly an anchor to many of us whose enthusiasm grew as the years went by, as well as the stalwart believer in inclusion.  He was always pushing for better tech, better sound and lighting, more costume programming, more varieties of costume programming.  He never stopped learning--in the past few years I have known him to participate in college level courses including sound technology, computer skills, molding and plastics, and others.  He was one of the most widely knowledgeable costumers on any number of subjects.  

Marty Gear -- one of "The Essentials".

Marty was a man I truly admired, particularly in his roles as vampire and costumer. I will always remember him as a comrade in cape and the teller of the best bad vampire jokes ever! Marty will be sorely missed.

Marty, You were a giant amongst men, My life is richer for having known you. Someday, I shall do the costume we discussed, but only in memory of you.
Travel well to the next land I look forward to seeing you there.

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.

Out thoughts and prayers are with the Gear family during this difficult time.  Marty was a wonderful friend to all that knew him, a leader in fandom, the best teller of bad vampire jokes, and a true gentleman.  He was a part of my extended family and will be missed in so many ways.  Gatherings and conventions will not be the same without him.  The sun shines a little less brightly at his passing.

Marty was a great friend and an awesome teacher.  He was a Father, Brother, Uncle, close and dear friend of many a costumer and was pivotal in including people of all kinds into our diverse and wonderful world of costuming for Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Among my favorite memories is one of Marty with his 2004 Worldcon costume group depicting characters from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.  Master Costumers all, Marty was in a loincloth!  Oh, my.  Only this past January Marty was MC for the Arisia '13 Masquerade.  He showed us how to make an MC's script book that was brilliant, simple, and flexible.  We'll be using that design this year at Worldcon and for years to come.  Marty left a long, wondrous, and superb mark on everyone he met.  I am privileged to have called him my friend.

I am saddened by the loss... amazed at the sheer number of people Marty's touched over the years, and while I am sad, I can't help but think that he and Bobby are together again.

Marty was one of those people who should have been larger than life..but really, really wasn't.  

I was always impressed by how multi-faceted he was, how many interests he pursued.  From costuming to electronics to art collecting to vampires to music to horror hosting to running away to join the circus, I think a person could have sat for an hour a day and talked to Marty for years and never hear the same story twice.

He gave his whole heart to his interests and his enthusiasm was infectious.  It's not surprising at all to see how many kinds of people knew him and have tales about him.

I'm honoured to have known him.

Ah, Marty; we'll miss you. Every Masquerade I saw you in, your commitment to both the costumers and the Masq itself was clear; you also made it look easy.

My condolences to your family and may you rest in peace.

The Masquerade won't be the same without him. RIP, Marty Gear.

to family and friends of marty gear' we have lost a 'true special friend', always smiling, always fun, always kind-----i miss him already!    eileen shaivitz of bsfs

My heart-felt condolences to all the Gears.
 Marty leaves a huge science fiction family who  truly appreciated  him.
In addition to being a tremendous fan with a wonderful and gentle sense of humor,  Marty was the level headed businessman who reviewed and negotiated hotel contracts, printed the room signs, and used his organization skills to run masquerades, started the Young Writers contest + organized and funded  the printing and mailing of the announcements to every Maryland high School, read all the stories,and so much more. Marty was an activist "elder statesman"  and had been the face of BSFS for so many years.  Marty and Bobbi were those rare folks who cared and  could encourage younger fans to take risks to excel. 
R.I P.  "Uncle Vlad".

I was very sad to hear of Marty's passing.  His contributions to volunteer-based Fandom, his iconic appearances as Masquerade MC, and his personal kindness to others touched me, and I hope to learn from his example.  

Rest easy, Marty.

I don't recall when I first met Marty, but it had to be 30 years ago.  I knew him as a science fiction fan, and would see him at SF conventions.  He was a devoted costumer, and could usually be found running the convention Masquerade competition, serving as Masquerade emcee, or serving as a Masquerade judge.  I last saw him at the third North American Discworld Con, devoted to the works of Terry Pratchett, over the July 4th weekend in Baltimore.  He was their Maskerade Director, as well as the lead in dealing with the hotel where it took place.

His chosen persona at such things was a vampire, complete with splendid cape, and he may have had the world's largest collection of vampire jokes.  He was friendly and outgoing, loved others, and was always willing to lend a hand.

He had been battling heart trouble for a long time, so while his death was a shock, it was not a surprise.  He was taken from us too soon, but remained active, involved, and doing what he loved to the very end. I'll miss him, and raise a glass in his honor at the next gathering where he would have been.

I saw Marty every year at Arisia in Boston.  It will not feel like the same convention without him there.

He was a true gentleman, who loved life, appreciated beauty, and cared about those around him. He will be truly missed.

I was very sorry to hear about Marty's passing. I worked with him closely on the Hugo Awards Ceremony in 1996 and he was a joy to be around: amusing, kind, and talented. My sympathies to the family and to those who knew him best.

I am so happy that I was able to spend some time with Marty at NADWCon a couple of weeks ago, where he ran the Maskerade. He was able to do what he loved up until the end. I never could have imagined that he would be gone so soon. He will be missed by me and my many others, costumers, BSFans, and especially by the Balticon Masquerade.

For decades Marty lent the Baltimore Science Fiction Society his talent both by volunteering for Balticon and serving on the BSFS Board of Directors. He could always cut through the confusion of an issue to work on the core problem and suggest a solution. Not only did he stand on and master the glamorous stage, but he also took on the difficult and many times unpleasant jobs and did them well. His wisdom and spirit will be missed by all of us on the BSFS BOD, but I will carry his example forward as a guide to help sustain the programs he worked to create and maintain.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Alexander Martin Gear

Décédé(e) le 18 JUILLET 2013

Witzke Funeral Homes Inc.

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