Baltimore recently lost one of its most well-known and locally-beloved philanthropists. Martin Resnick, owner of Martin’s Caterers, founder of The University of Maryland Foundation and the Signal 13 Foundation, also known to many as “Uncle Marty” or “Marty Party,” died on Sept. 11 at the age of 93.

Resnick was a celebrated member of the community who was known not only for his dedication to Martin’s Caterers, which recently celebrated its 60th year of operation, but for his involvement in local charitable causes. While he was not openly religious, he was fiercely committed to Baltimore’s Jewish community.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Resnick was hard of hearing from a young age.

“He had otosclerosis, [a disorder that affects the inner ear bones], and was hard of hearing, so he always felt like he had to try harder to fit in,” said Beth Levitt, one of Resnick’s daughters. “He would have to sit up at the front of classes to hear, and he had a bit of a stigma about that. He was very ambitious.”

Resnick’s father, Louis Resnick, also owned a catering hall. When Resnick first became involved with his father’s business, he was under the impression that he would facilitate hall rentals while his father would do the catering. But he eventually started to handle the catering duties as well, with the help of his mother and grandmother.

“They started a business on a hope and a dream. [Martin Resnick] needed to support his four children and get them all through college and beyond,” said Fran Albert, another of Resnick’s children. “He taught us to start small and dream big.”

Resnick was dedicated to Martin’s Catering, so much so that it would often impact his home life. His children referred to the business as his “fifth child,” and he would occasionally miss family events because he was caught up in something at work.

Still, it was this commitment that grew Martin’s Catering into the community institution that it is today, and its three locations have played host to years of b’nai mitzvahs and fundraisers.

His devotion to philanthropy and community involvement was similarly intense. Resnick served on the board of Morgan State University for 35 years and was an ardent supporter of Riverview Elementary School and Landsdowne Middle School. Students would often take field trips to the Martin’s West catering hall for lunch.

“He’s my best friend,” said then-fourth-grader Trey Lee in a 2017 Baltimore Sun article about Riverview honoring Resnick for his support on its 60th anniversary.

Resnick also founded the Signal 13 Foundation, which provides financial support to the Baltimore City Police Department to help them cover additional costs and funds scholarships for officers’ children.

Resnick was raised Reform and was a member of Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation. While he did not often speak about his Jewish identity, his philanthropy also extended to Jewish organizations. The Cheder Chabad of Baltimore’s girls’ school, the Thalia Resnick Girls School, is named in honor of Resnick’s wife due to a large financial contribution he made to the local Chabad house.

“We come from a Reform faith, but my father did tefillin every morning and said his prayers every day,” Albert recalled. “It’s not something we shared, or something he talked about a lot, but I know he did these things. He was a deeply religious man in that way. It was his guiding light.”

Resnick’s children describe him as a complicated man who demanded the best of everyone, but his community meant a lot to him, and he did everything he could to support it. It’s this support that has left a lasting impression on so many Baltimore residents.

“I wrote the Martin’s song that Mr. Resnick loved. He would always ask [me] to sing the song, no matter what time he arrived at the office, and always when he had guests,” wrote Delores M. McCray, a former Martin’s employee, on Resnick’s memorial book webpage. “The lyrics are: ‘Hey hello, welcome to Martin’s West. / Hey hello, we’ll give you our best. / We’re so glad you came. / Perfection is our name. Hey hello, welcome to Martin’s West.’ I will miss singing for him.”

Resnick is survived by children Mark Resnick (A.J. Hora), Beth (Ted) Levitt, Wayne (Kim) Resnick and Fran (Michael) Albert; brother Yale (Barbara) Resnick; daughter-in-law Ruth Resnick; grandchildren Erin Resnick, Scott Levitt (fiancée Heather Hooper), Lauren (Meaghan) Carey, Shannon (Jay) Askinasi, Eric (Arden) Resnick, Steven Albert, Sami Albert and Gerry Brooks; and great-grandchildren Devin, Sage and Perri Askinasi, Landen, Joey and Graham Resnick, Ayden Carey and Tenley Hooper. He was predeceased by wife Thalia Resnick (née Dragon); sister Beverly (Laurence) Stappler; grandson Jordan Resnick; and parents Louis and Esther Resnick.

Contributions may be sent to Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation, 7310 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, MD 21208, online athsosc-baltimore.org/give; Chabad of Maryland, 11621 Seven Locks Rd. Potomac, MD 20854 or The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014.