Funeral Details

MArtin,
you will always be with me. How lucky i was to have you around weekly for 2 years.always a part of my family.

kathy krohn

Martin Breiner.

It started many years before, setting the stage to eventually cross paths and meet Martin! Fast forward to August 23, 2013, I attended a class re-union of my grammar school in Northbrook, where I met Ed and Rich Kurnik, class mates although separated by a few years. We became good friends and I was graciously invited to a family and friends Passover celebration at the Kurnickâ??s home on April 14, 2014. That is where I first met Martin. He was seated having an enthusiastic conversation with others about how to market tutoring and how things have changed over the last 50 years that he had been tutoring. From word of mouth to a combination of some of the old â??spreading the wordâ? to todayâ??s social media marketing options and opportunities. I introduced myself into the conversation, found the dialog fascinating and later offered to assist Martin in maneuvering through some of the current marketing landscapes. Over the next many months we spent countless wonderful hours together over numerous cups of coffee, setting to task to put Martin on the Social Media Map! This continued up until the day before he passed, while sitting alongside his hospital bed on Friday October 2, 2015. We discussed Google ad words, pay per click and other relevant methods to get the word out about Martin and his amazing career, where he assisted thousands in making a positive difference for themselves, their career paths and the others they encountered along the way. We discussed the many faces of social media and how to see the trees within the forest. He often said, â??Study the material, there are no shortcuts. Do the work!â? As with his students, with that mantra, we continued on.

As I sat with another, John Tilley on that Friday, Martin stayed engaged and involved in the conversation, adding insight and challenging the status quo to what has worked in the past and can work in the future. The conversations with Martin were always spirited; his knowledge of world a

Ken Goldberg

Martin, you may be gone but you will never be forgotten. I can tell you what a special soul Martin was, because he tutored our son Jeff for the last two years. They really bonded and I was always a little jealous when he would come to the house and Jeff would call him father. They had a special bond and because of Martin, Jeff is truly flourishing at the University of Tampa. I can't thank him enough for what he did and I am sorry I did not get to say goodbye. I will miss when he would call or come over and say, "Rich, what's happening, Rich" We were blessed to have you in our lives and your memory will always be a blessing. Rest easy my friend as you have earned it!!

Rich Kurnick

Rest in Peace, my dear friend.

Anna Matthews

Martin will be missed but truly remembered by the positive influence he made on me and many thousands of others.

Ken Goldberg

Martin had a strong impact on the lives of all he knew. Argumentative and frustrating, but compassionate and loyal. always there to challenge, to help, to just be a friend. Whatever was needed. One of those rare characters that once you know him becomes a member of your family. Now that he is gone, our lives will not be the same. He will be sorely missed.

Jim Berman

We were so sorry to hear about Martin's sudden passing! He was at our house helping our son with his school assignments just the week before and even called to speak to my son twice from the hospital to encourage him and set up another study date, so we thought he would be back on his feet soon and helping students once again! What an amazing, enthusiastic, eccentric, honorable, dedicated and memorable person he was! His personality was so unique that it was almost as if he was sent from central casting in Hollywood for a special film continually in the making. My son loved working with him the past year and a half and he thrived under Martin's tutelage in many subjects and enjoyed their talks as they shared cookies, milk and soft-drinks and strayed into uncharted, off-script discussion areas such as films, politics, baseball, world events and other intriguing places. After a while, it almost seemed like Martin was part of the family, a slightly rumpled (but always concerned and caring) Uncle who came to visit each week like clockwork in a baseball cap and tattered pants, with twenty pens & pencils in his shirt pocket and what seemed like forty rubber bands--or more--wrapped around one wrist. My wife made sandwiches and dinner for him many times in order to keep him well fed before he left each night to drive back home (or help another student) and he often brought her flowers or gifts to say thanks. He also brought treats at all times for our new dog, "Cookie," whom he loved as if he was his own. On one occasion, when he found out I was interested in poetry & liked Emily Dickenson's poems, he later surprised me a thick paperback volume of her poems and then wouldn't accept any payment for it at all, despite my many attempts and thanks. Underneath it all, we thought he might be a bit lonely without any family we knew of in town, so we opened our family's arms to him as best we could and even threw him an impromptu birthday party at our house last December (

Joe Carey

Our apologies for writing so much--here is the last part of our tribute to Martin:

Underneath it all, we thought he might be a bit lonely without any family we knew of in town, so we opened our family's arms to him as best we could and even threw him an impromptu birthday party at our house last December (with Happy Birthday songs and cookies) and my mother-in-law made him home-made borscht soup on several occasions (after which, he would sometimes bring flowers for her, too)! Martin was an absolutely unforgettable person who touched all of our lives in many ways, and especially so for my son, who learned so much about studying, effort, organization, writing, dialogue, commitment and the world at large from being in Martin's presence, which radiated like a beacon of light, knowledge, and friendship. He also had a truly giving, spectacular and special heart, one that continued to give help, insight, counsel and direction to so many students for so many years until the very end of an enlightening, vibrant, energetic life.

Thanks so much, Martin, a true gentleman, Renaissance man, teacher and scholar, for all of the help, good company, conversation and love! You will be sorely missed by all of us and we still can't believe you won't be visiting us very soon again and sitting at our dining room table to discuss all the brand new topics of the world and day!

With love,

Joe, Renata, Joey, Nicholas and "Cookie" Carey


Renata Carey

To those of you who were close to Martin, some of his family members are considering coming to the memorial in December. It would mean a great deal to them to meet Martin's extended family. Please consider joining us.

Tammy Berman

Martin, your the best, the brightest, and a great friend. I will miss you immensely.

Love always, your friend,
Charlie.

Charles Habermann

Martin has been so important to me and my family for years. He tutored my sister in 1976..and my daughter in 2013,14. HE was so special, and one of the few people who communicated honestly and completely. HE would do anything for you. My mother sold him his house in northbrook, and he really loved her. We also invited him into our family, he came for thanksgiving and helped me with my daughter. I will miss him deeply and think about him forever.

julia clark

Martin Breiner, among the most interesting and admired people of the many thousands of people I have had the pleasure of meeting. You were an amazing force for improvement, goodness and always trying to assist and help everyone you met. My son especially and my family will always remember and miss you my friend. Just a few weeks ago I left you a voicemail to thank you once again and now I understand sadly why I never heard back from you in the usual day afterwards. I know you passionately always wanted me to complete our movie project documenting your incredible educational impact on so many fortunate people throughout the years; working title "Martin Who". I will endeavor to do so and invite those of you with your own funny, unique or interesting Martin Breiner stories to look me up on Facebook. Goodbye Martin, rest in peace my dear friend!

Bill William Marcus

Martin helped many people succeed and was very kind. I hope he is at peace.

Thomas Poupard