Bruce Eugene Martin

1929 - 2021

Bruce Eugene Martin

October 29, 1929 - December 10, 2021

Bruce Eugene Martin, a research chemist for DuPont for most of his career, died peacefully on Friday, December 10, 2021, at The Blake Assisted Living in Charlottesville, Va. He was 92. He was preceded in death by one week by his beloved wife, Martha Ann Martin.

Born in New York City on October 29, 1929, Bruce was the son of a commercial artist, LeslieMartin and his wife, Kathleen. When Bruce was 11 years old, the family moved out of the city to a suburban village, Pleasantville, where he spent his formative years.Charmed by the village's setting, Bruce actively explored its semi-rural surroundings on his bicycle and once even pedaled 33 miles into Manhattan to visit his father. His father encouraged his curiosity with birthday presents of a tape recorder and a short-wave radio, which Bruce later used to become a licensed Ham radio operator.

His education included graduating from Pleasantville High School, Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass., and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He met his wife at the Harvard bookstore while she was attending Radcliffe College. They were married a year later in Albany, N.Y.

During the Korean War, Bruce was an intelligence officer with the Army Signal Corps where he worked on enemy signal decoding. He later used these skills throughout his life as a hobby on his Ham radio and enjoyed communicating with people throughout the world.

Bruce and Marti raised their family in Hockessin and Wilmington, Delaware where he was a chemist in textile fiber development for DuPont. Through his chemical engineering, he developed lycra and spandex and obtained several patents for DuPont. It is still used in most stretchable fabrics today. He enjoyed weekends with his family sailing on the Chesapeake Bay on their sailboat, the Resilient, and navigating trips from the Bay to Martha's Vineyard and later crewed for friends from the Bay to Florida.

Years later, Bruce and Marti moved to Charlottesville, Virginia after Bruce was transferred by DuPont to head-up research at their Waynesboro operations. They preferred living in Charlottesville and taking advantage of UVA's educational and cultural activities and Olli programs. He and Marti hosted UVA international graduate students for many years. They entertained them and maintained life-long friendships by visiting them when they travelled abroad. He cherished luncheons with many dear friends in Charlottesville for over 50 years.

Bruce was not one to remain idle during his retirement. He was very active in the Senior Center teaching computer classes and played the clarinet for many years in the 'Second Wind' concerts. He loved listening to classical music and Jazz and could often be heard singing old ditties and playing 'It's a Wonderful Life' as his IPAD alarm clock sound. He enjoyed tennis with friends at the Boars Head Sports Club, loved gardening and became a certified Master Gardener. He could be found walking his cherished golden retrievers throughout town or hiking in the mountains. He and Marti spent every year planning travel throughout Europe and captured wonderful memories through his photography. Bruce shared these trips upon their return with educational slide shows over dinner with friends. He also looked forward to winter trips to Barbados every year. He was a long-time member of the Charlottesville Camera Club which he attended in later years with his daughter. He continuously honed his photography skills and could be seen with his camera in hand at all events.

Bruce is survived by his daughter, Susan Martin of Keswick, Va.; son, Christopher Martin of Fairfax, Calif.; grandson, Connor Martin of Valatie, N.Y.; brother, Robert Martin and his wife, Mary Hadar of Chevy Chase, Md.; nephew, Bryan Martin and his wife, Laura Martin and their children, Ben Martin and Natalie Martin of Vienna, Va.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to his physicians, UVa. Memory Clinic, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, The Blake Assisted Living and Hospice of The Piedmont for their compassionate care and dedication.

The family will honor Bruce and his wife, Marti with a 'Celebration of Life' luncheon at 12 p.m., on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at The Country Club of Glenmore.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Martha Jefferson Foundation, Hospice of the Piedmont, All Blessings Flow or Doctors Without Borders.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hillandwood.com.