Martin Waine 04/08/1933

Dr. Martin Waine passed away peacefully on March 12, 2024, at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, at the age of almost ninety-one years, after battling a heart condition.

A Greenwich resident of over 44 years, Martin was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1933, to Hans and Edith Waine and immigrated to the US at 3 months old. He was the oldest among three other siblings, Kenneth, Susan, and Peter, who grew up together in various towns around San Francisco and Boston. He graduated from the Brooks School, followed by a tour in the US Army. He returned home to undergraduate studies at Columbia University, followed by Yale University, where he received a PhD from the Department of Physics. During that time, he met his wife, Myra Geurkink, originally from Chickasha, OK, and together they enjoyed a happy marriage of almost 61 years.

After graduation, Martin became a Professor of Physics at Mount Holyoke College, but eventually left for a career in engineering and business. He was a manager or founder of various companies, including Pioneer Research, Micamatix, and finally of General Clutch and Torqmaster of Stamford, CT, where he acted as President. In addition to his management roles, he remained active with the physics and engineering aspects of the businesses, contributing to many solutions as well as to eight patents, a number of which he drafted himself.

Outside of his career, Martin was a passionate sailor. Having delivered newspapers as a child on San Francisco Bay in a sailing dinghy, he went on to captain his sailboats Emanon and Tigger, which he built largely by himself. He and Myra won countless races on the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound. He served as Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association and of Annapolis Race Week and as Commodore of Old Greenwich Yacht Club. Later in life, they cruised their beloved Celeritas on Buzzard’s Bay, using his engineering skills to constantly tweak and improve her.

In addition to sailing, he was an accomplished guitar and banjo player, performing with Myra as two members of a trio as far back as their time in New Haven. He played competitive Bridge, winning tournaments beyond his 90th year, and was highly active in the community as well. He served as President of Salters Point Association in Massachusetts, a board member for Putnam Hill, where he and Myra lived, and as a volunteer and coordinator for AARP in their Tax Assistance Program. As with his business and sailing experiences, his role in these organizations went beyond typical managerial responsibilities. He loved working with people to help find creative solutions.

Martin is survived by his wife, Myra, and three adult children, Nancy and her husband Bruce, Lauren, and Andrew and his wife Betsy. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, Fritz, Sophie, Doug, Amelia, and Luke. His remains were donated to the Yale School of Medicine for the advancement of scientific research. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to a charity of your choosing.