Martin Kent Trusty passed away on September 16, 2024 after a long illness. Marty was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia on March 23, 1937. He was the son of Norman Lance Trusty of Vancouver, Canada and Lucile Rothenberg of Hampton, Virginia where he grew up watched over, loved and helped by his mother, his grandparents Marton and Esther Rothenberg, and his mother’s siblings and their spouses: Eleanor and Jim Brown, and Art and Marie Rothenberg.

Marty worked his way through the College of William and Mary as a waiter at The King’s Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg and later by driving a school bus for the James City County school system. He met Penny Dorrida Anderson, his loving wife of 64 years, at the College of William and Mary and they married in 1960, shortly before he graduated with a B.A. degree in Economics. After graduation he completed an M.S. degree in governmental management from George Washington University while working at the NASA Langley Research Center during the exciting time of the original seven astronauts and the country’s “Race to the Moon.” While living in Tidewater Virginia he and Penny were blessed with a daughter, Karen Virginia and a son, James Marton.

Marty moved with his family to Arlington VA in 1968 to work for the Department of Health and Human Services, and in 1970 moved to Rockville MD where he became Executive Officer of the National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (“NIAAA”) which became part of NIH. While he was Executive Officer, the institute’s research budget grew from less than $10 million to $260 million. His career spanned seven Institute Directors, and he received numerous performance awards. He guided the NIAAA administrative and management affairs for 29 years until he retired in 1999. After retiring, the Institute established an annual meritorious award in his name, honoring his leadership and contributions to NIAAA. The award—which includes a $10,000 stipend-- is given each year to an NIAAA staff member who has made a major contribution to NIAAA.

After retirement, Marty worked as a consultant for NIAAA, providing special reports and studies of various management issues at NIAAA. In addition, he served as a volunteer at Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) working on their Programs Committee to evaluate and improve the various programs provided by CMR. He also served as president of his neighborhood homeowners association for a number of years. He was a member of the Rockville Baha’í Community and served for many years on the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Rockville.

Marty was a lover of classical music and an avid reader, absorbing all forms of world history but particularly loving to read about the Civil War and World War II. He followed political developments on a daily basis and demonstrated a deep patriotism for America throughout his life.

Throughout his life he loved and supported his wife Penny, daughter and son-in-law Karen and Jim Baughman, son and daughter-in-law Jim and Laura Trusty, and five grandchildren: Marty, Hannah, Brian, Molly, and Caroline. Marty and his wife also enjoyed the company of his brother, Lance, and wife Janet, and his two nephews Bob and Jon Trusty and their families, as well as many much-loved relatives from Penny’s family and a host of friends from college, work, parents of his children’s school mates, and his religious community. He will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Martin's name to the following:

Montgomery Hospice at www.montgomeryhospice.org

Rockville Voluntary Fire Department at Rvfd.org

Community Reach (formerly Community Ministries of Rockville) at Cmrocks.org