Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A passion for ‘kids and critters’
Entrepreneur’s wife worked for many causes
FORT LAUDERDALE — As a philanthropist and the wife of entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizenga, Marti Huizenga was wellknown in South Florida for her tireless devotion to a wide range of charitable causes, especially those reflecting her passion for what she referred to as “kids and critters.”
But those who knew her best also spoke Wednesday of her infectious laugh, a witty sense of humor and a whimsical thirst for adventure that could lead her to invite eight friends onto her private jet for an impromptu trip to New York or the Virgin Islands
“We had a lot of fun on what she called those ‘girl trips,’” said Ellen Murton, a Fort Lauderdale friend for more than 40 years. “I have never known a more generous, caring, thoughtful person, someone who put others before herself. We have some big shoes to fill.”
Marti Huizenga died Tuesday at the age of 74.
“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, a fierce advocate for ‘kids and critters,’ a loyal friend and an outstanding wife and
wonderful mother,” said daughter Pam Huizenga Alexander. “Her 14-year battle with cancer was fought with courage, intensity and grace. We have lost an irreplaceable treasure and will miss her beyond comprehension.”
Marti Huizenga served on boards of many organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County and the Humane Society of Broward County. Her philanthropic contributions included donations to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University in Davie and the local arts.
“Often she would offer to help before she was asked,” said Mary Riedel, president and CEO of Women in Distress, which serves domestic violence victims. “She was grounded as a person. She had a special touch. We miss her already.”
George Hanbury II, president of NSU, said the Huizengas have given “multimillions of dollars” to the university over the years. But more than money, Marti Huizenga “genuinely gave of her time and her talents.”
She also co-chaired a $58 million renovation campaign for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which later named its nearby restaurant after her, Marti’s New River Bistro.
A Florida native, Marti was an office worker at Southern Sanitation before she met and wed entrepreneur H. Wayne Huizenga in 1972. Their relationship brought H. Wayne, Fort Lauderdale’s most wellknown entrepreneur, back to his hometown. Wayne Huizenga is co-founder of Waste Management in Chicago. He later founded Blockbuster Entertainment, which he moved to Fort Lauderdale, and AutoNation, a $21 billion company in Fort Lauderdale.
“Marti was Wayne’s greatest partner and an inspiration to all of us here at AutoNation,” said Mike Jackson, the company’s chairman and CEO. “Her spirit, dedication and love will forever leave a lasting legacy on so many. We all cherish and will miss Marti’s big heart.”
Although her name — and that of her husband — can be found on many buildings and on rosters of donors and directors in South Florida, Marti Huizenga did not donate millions of dollars in order to gain recognition, according to those who knew her well.
“We always said we were small town girls living in the big city,” said Barbara Grevior, another close friend. “She never forgot her roots.”
During the time H. Wayne Huizenga owned the Dolphins, Panthers and Marlins, Marti Huizenga was an avid supporter of the teams.
In the Panthers’ Year of the Rat, when fans celebrated goals during the team’s run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals by throwing plastic rats onto the ice, she was an enthusiastic participant from the family’s cheering section behind the glass.
“The rats were right up Marti’s alley,” Panthers founding President William A. Torrey recalled. “She’d come to the games with a shopping bag full of rats … and she could throw.
“She hardly ever missed a game. She was very involved with the [player’s] wives and charities. She was involved with an unbelievable amount of charities. She just loved the game.”
Memories are similar with the other teams. When Wayne Huizenga owned the Dolphins he often said that he couldn’t claim to be their No. 1 fan because his wife’s passion exceeded his own.
Marti Huizenga also fostered a family atmosphere within the teams by hosting luncheons at her home for spouses of players and staff.
“My wife was very proud and privileged to go to those luncheons at the house,” long-time Panthers broadcaster and former player Randy Moller said. “Marti would do all the cooking and baking herself. She was a very down-home and genuine lady.
“Both Wayne and Marti were such a big part of the sports landscape here. Where would South Florida be without the Huizengas and what they did with the Marlins and the Dolphins and Panthers? It’s a sad, sad day.”
Gale Butler, who previously worked with Wayne for 20 years and now is executive director of Hugh Taylor Birch Park in Fort Lauderdale, said everyone who knew the couple knew “they were crazy about each other. The fun hadn’t gone out of their relationship . ... It’s the kind of marriage everybody wants.”
When Butler would bring up community giving to Wayne, he would say, “‘Let’s go home and talk with Marti,’” she said. “They got a kick about doing it together.
“People will never know how much they did — the kindness and the caring for this community over the years is amazing,” Butler said. “Those are hard shoes to fill.”
Until the last months of her life, Marti continued to enjoy long lunches with friends and taking leisurely walks. She loved tennis and golf.
In earlier years she sought out higher-octane adventure. She once drove a high-end race car, went hang gliding and took flying lessons. She flew in an F-18 fighter jet and landed on an aircraft carrier, she told one interviewer.
Her husband recalled that after his wife watched a Discovery Channel program on the migration of polar bears through Churchill, Canada, she arranged for 25 members of the extended family and friends to fly up and witness the animals’ passage.
“I said, ‘Give me a break,’ but we went,” he told the Sun Sentinel in 1994. “And spent two days following the polar bears.”
As a wealthy woman, Marti Huizenga acknowledged that she was privileged. The couple lived in a Mediterranean-style villa on the New River in Fort Lauderdale and in the late 1990s built the Floridian Yacht & Golf Club, a private resort on 300 acres near Stuart. They owned private jets and a big yacht.
But according to friends, her chief interests were her family and the charities she supported.
“Wayne’s and my philosophy is the same,” she told the Sun Sentinel in 1994. “Instead of sitting and talking later about what we should have done, we’re trying to do as much of it as we can while we’re still healthy and able to. Enjoying our family, helping the charities, traveling, doing things we want to do.”
Christopher Agostino, president and CEO of the Humane Society of Broward County and a friend of 25 years, lunched with Marti regularly. Those lunches were scheduled for an hour, but usually lasted three times longer, Agostino said.
“There was always an environment of fun or humor with her,” he said. “She was a witty, intelligent, downto-earth woman who saw everybody as equals.
“Marti recognized she had a very blessed life but never took it for granted,” Agostino said. “She was a friend and a mentor.”
Brian Quail, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County, said he would remember her non-stop energy and generosity.
“She was so open, fun to be with,” Quail said. “She knew how to joke, how to engage young people, the kids ages 6 to 18 we work with. She had a way of letting them know people cared about them.”
Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, said Marti’s philanthropic leadership was “exceptional.” She “frequently was the first, serving as a catalyst for local capital campaigns by making her leadership gift a matching challenge grant to motivate others to give,” he noted.
In a statement, Kelley Shanley, president and CEO of The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, said: “Marti was one of those rare individuals whose devotion to our community was absolutely unwavering. She so strongly believed that a caring community could transform lives, and she helped to set a new standard for philanthropy in South Florida.”
Marti Huizenga is survived by her husband, H. Wayne; her brother Charlie and sister-in-law Karen; children Ray, Pamela and Wayne Jr.; their respective spouses Jennifer, Jay and Fonda; son Scott; and 11 grandchildren.
The family plans a private funeral service and asks that instead of flowers, donations be made in her name to the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County or Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa.