Martin TRUST

TRUST, Martin Bras, Boxer Shorts, and the Boston Red Sox Martin Trust, age of 84, of Boston, Massachusetts and Palm Beach, Florida passed away peacefully at his home on September 12, 2019. For 60 years, Marty was husband and partner in life of Diane "Dena" (Kagen) Trust. Marty is survived by his children David Andrew Trust of Boston, Laura Beth Trust and her husband Alan Litchman of Brookline. Marty is the cherished grandfather to Samuel, Jacob, and Bailey. He leaves a sister Carol Cohen of Boynton Beach, Florida and is predeceased by his father Max and mother Rose of Brooklyn, New York. Marty was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brooklyn Tech before receiving a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union. Marty went to MIT Sloan School of Management on scholarship where he graduated with a M.S. degree. Marty was the founder of Mast Industries, Inc. -- a pioneer in global apparel manufacturing. He formed Mast with Dena in the basement of their home in Canton, Massachusetts in 1970, and built it into an international organization spanning a dozen countries. His company grew out of the basement and moved to Norwood, then Woburn, and eventually to Andover Massachusetts. Marty's contribution to the apparel industry and in particular the intimate apparel industry in Sri Lanka, led to the Government of Sri Lanka bestowing on him the highest civil honor of Ranjhana. Marty served as the Consul General of Sri Lanka for New England for more than a decade. At the same time, Marty invested seed money in many small, local companies such as Staples, Inc. when it had just one store in Brighton. Marty served as a director for Staples, Inc. and The Limited, Inc. as well as serving on the board of Virtusa Corporation, and several non-profits including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and The Cooper Union. Marty absolutely loved his work and spending time with those he worked with in business. His deep impact on the lives of his associates, partners, colleagues and friends world-wide is immeasurable. Upon leaving Mast in 2001, Marty founded another apparel manufacturing company he named Brandot International, Inc. where he continued his leadership of world-wide manufacturing with more than 40 joint-venture operations in 8 countries making everything from sweaters to boxer shorts and buttons to elastic waistbands. Among his most incredible ventures, in 2001, Marty was asked to join in the ownership group that purchased the Boston Red Sox baseball club. Marty treasured the Red Sox and what the team meant to Boston and its long suffering and dedicated fan base, Red Sox Nation. He cherished the 18-year partnership in the team that resulted in four World Series Championship titles. Marty believed deeply that education was the key to his success and was committed to giving others the opportunity that he was given as a young man. He has provided opportunities and access to education to thousands of deserving students. Marty provided valuable support to those seeking medical advances and breakthroughs and although Marty possessed no artist ability admired and supported the fine and performing arts. Countless organizations in New England have benefited from his generosity. Upon his retirement from Brandot in 2014, Marty enjoyed spending quality time with his children and grandchildren especially attending Sox games with them. Marty loved his family with all his heart, and he taught all who knew him the principles of hard work, education, persistence and philanthropy. No doubt, Marty will be remembered for his warmth, his dedication, his brilliance, his generosity, and his integrity. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to The Trust Family Research Fund for Kidney Cancer at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, Massachusetts 02284 or to the Diane and Martin Trust Fund for Multigenerational Programming at Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02131. Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapel.com