Martin Hillard Gerstell

Martin Hillard Gerstell; September 5, 1924-May 3, 2022 Martin Hillard Gerstell (age 97) died peacefully at his Washington, DC residence on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. He was born September 5, 1924, in New York City, son of the late Jeane and Solomon Gerstell, and husband of Jean Steinberg, who predeceased him in 2012. Aside from his final years, when he and Jean moved to Washington and resided in the Grand Oaks Assisted Living facility, and a brief series of year-long work-related postings, Martin was a consummate New Yorker – born in the Bronx, growing up in Brooklyn, and spending his happiest years as a Manhattanite. Martin is survived by his only child, son Glenn, Glenn’s wife Phyllis, and grandchildren Emily, Daniel (fiancée Chelsea) and Jonathan. Martin was also a fond uncle to several nieces and nephews -- among them Marianne Janowsky, Martin Gerstel (Shoshana), Robert Ross (Joan), Robert Wechsler, Richard Steinberg (Louise), Debbie Steinberg, and Ken Levinrad (Amy); also, in his later years Martin was especially close to his first cousin Marshall Gerstel (Susan) and Marshall’s children, Andrew Gerstel (Julie) and Lisa Gerstel. Martin also leaves behind many friends both in New York, Washington and elsewhere, and especially his dear and loyal friends from the “Thursday Group” of volunteers at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Martin was the baby in his family; his much older siblings were brother Sidney and sisters Edith (Edie) and Dorothy (Dotty). Born on Kelly Street in the Bronx in 1924, in the same building as, years later, Colin Powell (whom Martin met and kibbitzed with about this fact late in life), Martin’s family later moved to the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Martin met his future wife, Jean. The two were friends as pre-teens in middle school; later, after Martin “volunteered” to help tutor Jean in French at Lafayette High School, they became an item – she was a beauty, he a hot-shot drummer in an amateur swing band. Martin had barely begun his engineering studies at Manhattan’s City College when he was drafted into the Army in 1943, at age 18. Similarly pulled out of Officer’s Candidate School just days before graduation in the rush to respond to the Battle of Bulge in late 1944, Martin served the last several months of World War II coordinating logistics for the port of Antwerp. Throughout his time in Europe, Jean and Martin corresponded almost daily until Martin’s return and were married in June 1947 at Manhattan’s Hotel McAlpin. Their happy reunion was, sadly, clouded by the untimely death of Martin’s beloved older brother Sid – whose passing a year earlier had been concealed from Martin while he was overseas. Shortly thereafter, Martin completed his degree in electrical engineering and started work for the New York City subway system (one particularly miserable assignment involving checking electrical wiring in rat-infested subway tunnels), and then switched to a job with Westinghouse. But he soon realized that since, as he put it, “engineers were a dime a dozen,” a business degree would offer him wider options. So, after taking classes at night part-time, he received his MBA from NYU in 1955. Following several years with Johnson & Johnson, Martin spent the balance of his career as a senior marketing executive for an industrial chemicals company (National ChemSearch of Dallas, Texas). Although Martin’s career required several short-term assignments elsewhere (primarily in New Jersey, Denver and Dallas) by the mid-60’s he, Jean and teenage son Glenn settled into what would become their favorite home -- a glamorous apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. There they witnessed first-hand the explosive revitalization of New York’s cultural scene that began under Mayor John Lindsay in the 60's. Through volunteer work, Jean became very involved in the contemporary New York art world, especially the new and very “in” Whitney and American Craft Museums. Jean and Martin began collecting contemporary art, eventually amassing an impressive collection of paintings, prints and sculpture -- all housed in their jewel box of an apartment at 355 East 72 Street. Jean even started a business, "The New York Art Scene," which arranged for groups of women to meet living artists, visit their studios and, often, acquire art at attractive prices directly from the artist. Although Martin’s job funded a nice lifestyle for his family, his real passion was not in his work but in socializing (mainly with all the interesting people Jean collected), reading (history and biography), visiting museums and learning about art, and, most of all, travelling. Jean and Martin’s travels took them around the world many times over; from an African safari to a tree-top lodge in Australia, and from China immediately following its re-opening to the West in the early 70’s, to India where he and Jean, amazingly, had a serendipitous private meeting with Indira Gandhi. They especially loved visiting Asia during Glenn’s eight years as managing partner of his firm’s Singapore and then Hong Kong offices – making the difficult trek (especially hard on Jean, given her insulin-dependent diabetes) for all the important grandchild occasions – births (their two grandsons being born in Hong Kong), birthdays, graduations, any and all of Emily’s drama performances, and holidays. Martin and Jean had an enormous range of friends and they loved dressing up for occasions and following the latest fashion trends (Nehru jackets; hot pants; wild and crazy artisan jewelry and ties), decorating and re-decorating (endlessly!), seeing all the latest plays, eating at the "in" restaurants, attending all the museum and gallery opening parties, seeing and being seen, and generally pursuing a chic New York lifestyle. Martin’s later years after Jean's death were greatly revitalized by his volunteer work at the National Gallery of Art. He had a deep connection with art; not because it was socially appropriate but because it genuinely spoke to him. Martin’s interests included not only modern and contemporary artists but also the Dutch masters (especially Vermeer), whom he appreciated both emotionally and intellectually. When his volunteer shifts ended, he often lingered, wandering around the museum just to be surrounded by visual beauty. But his NGA volunteering was not just about personal art appreciation. Martin was a true “people person” -- gregarious, outgoing, eager to interact, explain, educate. Walking the NGA halls, Martin was as apt to assist a befuddled visitor as he was to greet and be greeted by the museum guards – all of whom he knew by name, and all of whom knew and recognized “Mr. G.” But family ultimately was what mattered most to him; Martin’s devotion to his wife Jean was legendary; he took care of her not only during the many years of her severe diabetes (monitoring her blood sugar, preparing her medicines, giving her the required injections) but later when she developed the devastating Alzheimer's disease that prompted their move to an assisted living facility in Washington DC. Indeed, he won a Caretaker of the Year award from Iona Senior Services for his steadfast support of Jean throughout her final illness. His sophisticated knowledge of Jean’s medical needs prompted many to assume he was not just “Mr. G” but actually “Doctor G.” Second only to Jean was his devotion to his children (he never used the term “daughter-in-law,” instead always saying that he had a son and a daughter), of whom he was tremendously proud. And then there were his three cherished grandchildren. Perhaps because he only had one child (and that a son), he and Jean doted upon their first granddaughter Emily; but as Daniel and then Jonathan joined the family, they too were adored and received their share of doting. Martin basked in his grandchildren’s many achievements and, as each one chose a life partner, was equally proud and supportive of their choices -- with both Chelsea and Elisabeth becoming beloved members of his inner circle. It was a wonderful gift that, living to be 97, Martin was able to be not just a fun-loving playmate “Gramps,” but to enjoy a deep, adult relationship with each grandchild. We are all tremendously sad that he will not be with us at the first wedding of his grandchildren; he wanted more than anything to live to see Daniel’s wedding to Chelsea this September. But he will certainly be there in spirit. Martin was famous for his fabulous sense of humor, his clever, on-the-spot quips and ripostes, and his mastery of recounting a good old-fashioned style joke. We would all try and replicate some of his "greatest hits" -- but no one could tell that long joke about the reluctant monk, or the “choose soup or sex" story like Grampa! Along with that sense of humor came the ability to read and connect with people emotionally. Martin knew how to be comfortable with anyone, and he knew how to make anyone feel comfortable with him. Tellingly, after Martin passed away, a great many Grand Oaks staffers stopped by his room – administrators, the janitor, the repairman, several care managers – all of whom wanted to say one last goodbye to “Mr. G.” Martin was unquestioningly self-confident, calmly assertive, and generally optimistic; he expected to be treated with respect and he especially expected that for his loved ones, and most especially for his soulmate, Jean. There was no restaurant where Jean didn't deserve the best table or the choicest food, no theater or airplane where she didn’t rate the best seat. Because of his self-confidence, he never felt, or acted "old" -- and as a result he had many friends who were much younger than he was and with whom he felt totally comfortable. The day before he died, he was on a Zoom call with his grandchildren -- testimony to his interest in and eagerness to utilize the latest technology. Similarly, he never lost his intellectual curiosity; in his last weeks he was listening to a 400+ page biography of Charlemagne on Audible. How would Martin like to be remembered? As a husband, father and grandfather -- loving, supportive, involved. As a good friend -- empathic, understanding, insightful. As a good man -- caring about justice, peace among nations, the world's cultural, intellectual and artistic heritage. As a very funny, HANDSOME (he was a bit vain in his youth), stylish, thoughtful and understanding “mensch.” Or, as some other New Yorkers might say, “a stand-up guy.”