Martin Garnick — nurse, cyclist, and storyteller — formerly of Manalapan, NJ and Bushnell, FL, died from cancer on Christmas day. He was 72.

Marty was born on January 11, 1952 in Flushing, NY to Pearl (Cooperman) and Sol Garnick. He was one of four kids in a chaotic Jewish family. His paternal grandmother survived the pogroms in Odessa by hiding in a pickle barrel when Cossacks invaded her village. His paternal grandfather mysteriously disappeared from the genealogical record. He might have gone to prison for bootlegging, but no one really knows. Marty's father sold eggs, and his mother was a homemaker who enrolled him in kindergarten a year before he was eligible, which was something she could do back then because no one had bothered to ask for his birth certificate.

Marty graduated from John Bowne High School at 17, and lived on his own shortly after. He met his wife, Janie, at Queens College, even though neither of them were students there at the time. They married in 1977 and had two kids — Kimberly and Justin. They moved to Manalapan in 1985.

Marty held many careers over the course of his life. He was a New York City taxi driver for a stint, but quit because he felt the job was too dangerous (it was the seventies after all). He was employed by an international shipping company, but after a run-in with mobsters, he quit that job too. He sold life insurance and Little Debbie snack cakes. He eventually went back to college to get his nursing degree. He worked in several New Jersey hospitals including Robert Wood Johnson, Jersey Shore Medical, Rahway Hospital, and Jersey City Medical Center. If you were in the ICU in the 1990s and 2000s, you probably were cared for by Marty Garnick.

Marty's passion was cycling. He could be seen pedaling his recumbent or trike all over Monmouth County. He was known to say, "Don't mess with my family, my money, or my bike." He was also an avid camper, swapping out suburbia for an RV. He and Janie schlepped all over the United States in a giant motorhome until they settled in Florida in 2018. He loved the weather and was loathed to leave, but his kids wanted him close. Despite living in four states, he never lost his Queens accent or pragmatism.

He is survived by his wife Jane (Kasner) Garnick; children Kimberly Garnick Giarratano and Justin Garnick; son-in-law Bob Giarratano and daughter-in-law Michelle (Fallivene) Garnick; and grandchildren: Jesse Garnick, Bobby Giarratano, Benjamin Giarratano, and Paloma Giarratano.

In honor of his final wishes, Marty's remains will be scattered during a family camping trip in much warmer weather.

And in lieu of flowers, Marty would want you to go outside and ride your bike. And if you ever find yourself in a hospital, he'd also like you to thank your nurse.