Martin Emanuel Gerber

He was preceded in death by his wife Elizabeth “Betsy” Gerber, his mother and father, Harry Gerber and Henrietta Friedman (Ginsberg), and by his step-father Al Friedman.

He is survived by his two daughters, Karen West and Marilyn Gerber; his grandson, Connor Gerber; and his cousins Alan Ginsburg (Linda Tuchman-Ginsberg) and Phyllis Ginsberg.

Marty excelled at chess and billiards, and won many trophies in tournaments when he competed in his hometown, New York City. While he resided in Texas for 45 years, he was a proud New Yorker at heart, and he never missed the Jets or the Yankees when their games were televised.

He worked for 33 years for Texaco and after a brief retirement, he went back to work as a Wal-Mart greeter for the next 15 years, where he set up “World Championship” chess matches in the employee breakroom, using a Hulk Hogan WWE costume belt as the trophy for the weekly event.

He worked shift work in his early career, and never missed an episode of The Young and the Restless (there are VHS tapes to prove it), he was an avid watcher of Lifetime channel movies, but he watched Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson movies from the 1970’s in equal measure. Marty’s favorite pastime was bowling and he carried a 250 average in his prime, earning him the moniker “The Strike Machine” by his teammates. He also bowled a perfect game of 300 on several occasions and won patches and a 300 ring. Everyone would agree that his biggest win on the lanes was meeting his future wife, Betsy.

Marty was a loving husband and made his wife’s coffee every morning (in spite of not drinking coffee himself) and he always made sure that her gas tank was full. He enjoyed spending time at home with his family and his cats, and was proud of his daughters and his grandson and supported their dreams and education. He also had a wicked sense of humor, like gifting a checkbook cover that actually laughed out loud when opened to his college student daughter.

Marty was a beloved husband, father, son, and friend. If you would like to honor him with a donation, please support the dementia or Alzheimer’s charity of your choice.

The memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 1:00 PM at the Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 4525 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, 77401.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanbellaire.com for the Gerber family.