I am so saddened to run across this obituary of my old friend Marty. I met and knew him back in the early 70s when he had Romans Audio Classics in Bloomington, MN. We spent many hours together playing with stereo equipment. I've been looking for him for years. I knew he'd moved to CA a long time ago. I kept hoping I'd find him and renew our friendship. If there is anyone who could call me, I'd appreciate knowing about him. I'm heartbroken about this. Tim Stegall 612-998-8467.

Good bye to my best friend, roomie and fellow audiophile you will be missed greatly.
The memories will last a lifetime.

I am sad to lose a friend, my buddy Marty.
I shall Miss the many times we spent after  work hours, hanging out, talking, drinking….

"Oh, here's to other meetings,
And merry greetings then;
And here's to those we've drunk with.
But never can again."

I met Marty in 1998, when I bumped into him several times at The Wine and Liquor Depot in Van Nuys. I initially thought that he worked there as he was usually behind the counter and answered questions with authority and passion. 

We became friends, attended SMWS events together and spent many evenings at Hi Q Audio, his place of business and malt whisky library. 

I met Lucy, his lovely, exuberant and patient wife. She would come to the store after her work day and sit watching one of the big screen TV's, while Marty and I kibitzed and argued politics in between drams and discussions of distillery minutia. I was never sure if her quiet laughter was directed at us or the television. I know that Marty adored her. They were lucky to have found one another.

Over the next fifteen years I spent countless nights, along with many other enthusiasts, trading wise cracks with Marty at gatherings at Hi Q Audio and eventually in Las Vegas, starting in the year 2000, where we would follow Marty on his yearly pilgrimage to the Consumer Electronics Show. We came from all over the USA, and all over the globe to converge on Las Vegas and spend time with Marty and each other, with endless talk. Some of it about malt whisky, the thread that loosely tied us all together. 

Marty loved  language. The more complex the wordplay or obscure the reference, he delighted in every topsy-turvy.  And yet he also loved nothing more than a bad pun.

He was a mentor, a sounding board and a friend. I will miss him.





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Martin Kari

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OBITUARY

Martin Oliver Kari

July 4, 1946 – March 3, 2023

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary & Crematory

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