Obituary of Ruben L. Marti

DR. RUBEN L. MARTI Ruben Marti was born in Havana Cuba on June 18, 1931, to Antonio Marti and Maria Josefa del Castillo. He died peacefully with his wife, Mary, and his daughter, Denise, at his side on May 6, 2010. He met what was to be his wife of 59 years, Mary Marti, in High School and they were married when both were 19 years old. They studied together at the University of Havana, where he graduated with a PhD in Physics/Mathematical Sciences. After graduating from the University of Havana, he decided to apply for and was awarded the position of Actuary for the National Bank of Cuba. He was the first Cuban born Actuary to work for the Bank, and the last prior to the nationalization of the Bank. At the time, he applied for the Actuarial position, there was no course of study available for this career in Cuba. He studied by himself, and after passing an exhaustive examination he was unanimously awarded the position from a long list of candidates. After serving as Actuary, he went to work for the University of Havana as the Dean of the School of Physics and Mathematics , where he worked until 1966. As a member of the Cuban Society on Philosophy, he wrote and made various presentations at the Palace of Fine Arts of Havana. These works were highly recognized and he was invited to present his works at Padua, Italy, during the International Congress of Philosophy in 1958, which he attended. He also was invited to lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris, France by the Cuban house at the University of Paris. Being completely fluent in 5 languages, he translated several scientific journals from German into Spanish in Cuba. While still living in Cuba, he was awarded a post doctoral fellowship to the University of Gottingen in Germany to conduct advanced studies in theoretical physics. After trying for several years, he was eventually allowed to leave Cuba in 1966. He lived both in Spain and in Germany, with his wife and daughter, until he obtained a visa to the United States. Once in Washington State, in a language not his own, he studied entirely by himself and became a professional civil engineer, working during many years for the then State Department of Highways. He also worked for the Washington State Department of Personnel as a trainer. During his career with the State he continued working in his first love, teaching. He worked part-time at both Centralia Community College and for the School of Engineering at St. Martin’s University, at the former teaching Spanish and at the latter, thermodynamics. Not one to allow his intellect to rest, he continued to write for professional journals such as the Journal of Mathematical Physics. He retired in 2000. He is survived by his wife , Mary Marti, his daughter, Denise Marti, his sister, Marta Amorin, and two nieces, Mayra Perez and Maria Antonieta Marti, as well as numerous great nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the staff at Saint Peter’s Hospital who took care of him in his final days, particularly the nursing staff in the Critical Care Unit and those on the third floor of the hospital. Their compassion and dedication to both Ruben and his family will not be forgotten. There will be a mass of Christian Burial on May 14th, 2010, 1:00 pm at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Westside Chapel, at 17th and Overhulse Roads, Olympia. Please leave your memories and condolences for the family by clicking on the "view guestbook" link below.