Martha Cynthia Pruitt-Christ

Martha Cynthia Pruitt-Christ, a woman of ceaseless warmth, kindness and acceptance, passed away Nov. 6, leaving the world she gently, yet profoundly, touched, forever less wonderous and wonderful without her. She died while being treated for cancer and COVID-19 at the Summit Alta Bates Medical Center in Oakland. Affectionately nicknamed by her friends as Marty, she was 73.

Her cause of life, which defined her, was a remarkable capacity to create and celebrate happiness. It was a quality Martha cherished most in her family, and expressed in ever widening circles of dear friends, new and long enduring. Evidence of this abounded whether in the twinkle of her eye, or the charming melody of her infectious and frequent laugh.

Whether in a chance meeting at a favorite café, or shopping for her trademark Chanel perfume in some sophisticated shop, Martha never met a stranger; they were only friends and future associates in waiting. She was, in the classic sense, beloved by everyone she encountered.

Many of her co-workers would become lifelong friends, people drawn from a vast array of humanity, from faraway geographies, various races, ethnicities, and histories. She’d trade potluck dishes lightly spiced with her sweet smile as she shared their lives, the highs and the lows. That was who she was: no pretense, no judgment, no hesitation in the generosity of a seemingly infinite spirit of love and goodwill.

“I talked to her almost every, single day of my life, sometimes multiple times in a single day,” recalls Angela Pruitt, her daughter and only child. “She was my number one cheerleader, supporting me unconditionally. Literally, she was the best mother, ever.”

Martha was born to Dorothy and Sabron Pruitt in Omaha, Neb. on a mild-weathered, September 9th day in 1948. Her father, a quietly powerful man, was a meat packing worker who provided a comfortable home for his wife and five children, of which Martha was the first born. A good student, Martha attended Omaha’s Central High School where she was, according to her 1966 yearbook, a member of the Future Nurses of America.

Her private dreams of being an actress would soon enough help fuel her move westward a few years after graduation. But the true gravity that drew her to the West Coast was a man, the love of her life, Ronald Christ, himself a child of the Midwest transplanted in Northern California. She moved to Berkeley, Ca. in the early 1970s to join Ron, and together, raise her daughter, Angela. After 35 years together, the couple legalized their bond by getting married on June 30, 2010.

For 46 years, Martha and Ron, a smart and sensitive soul, had been practically inseparable. They lived the very epitome of a demonstratively close and loving relationship. They shared everything from a first cup of morning coffee to the last warm word of goodnight, before slipping off to sleep together in their cozy, welcoming home near California’s Napa Valley.

Among the many interests they shared with one another – including architecture and fine wines – was their passion for movies. It didn’t hurt that Martha had an encyclopedic knowledge of film and film history, recalling the names and work histories of actors, screenwriters, and directors at a moment’s notice. Her favorite movie was Cinema Paradiso, the 1988 film by director Giuseppe Tornatore about a young, Sicilian boy’s aching love for film. Other all-time favorites included The Godfather, Raging Bull and Casablanca. Angela remembers how the couple would pack her up as a little girl and off they would go to Bay Area art house theaters, all three huddled spellbound in the dark and timeless glitter of immortal films.

Once during a first visit to New York where Angela was working as a journalist, Martha actually saw her favorite actor, Al Pacino. He was filming the 1997 movie, The Devil’s Advocate, in the city’s Greenwich Village. Martha never forgot how he looked up and waved at her with a smile.

While enjoying numerous visits with Angela in New York, Martha and Ron, both jazz aficionados, took in live music performances, something they also did in the Bay Area for years. Among their favorite spots was Yoshi’s in Oakland where Martha reveled in the sounds of musicians like David Sanborn and Rick Braun.

And despite possessing Hollywood-striking beauty when she arrived in California, Martha did not pursue a life on the silver screen. Instead, her first job was at the Berkeley YWCA while Ron began a long and successful career in retail. In time, Martha played a starring role at the University of California’s retirement system benefits department where she worked for 34 years. Gradually, she achieved the post there as a senior benefits analyst.

Both Martha and Ron retired when they reached their mid-60s, and never lost a step in their graceful waltz of a well lived life as one — until the music stopped, and Martha began her rest in peace.

Martha was preceded into the eternal by her father, who died in 1979, and her mother, who passed in 2019. Martha is survived by her husband Ron and daughter Angela and siblings: Gladys DuVerne Meah, of Brookeville, Md.; Marilyn Browder, Darryl Pruitt and Kim Pruitt, of Omaha, Neb.; and 10 nieces and nephews, and 16 great nieces and nephews. Martha and her sisters were especially close, maintaining a telephone conference call every Sunday for the last 15 years.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, Friday, 19 Nov. at the Sunset View Cemetery and Mortuary, 101 Colusa Ave., El Cerrito, Ca. Burial will immediately follow near the location. A repast is scheduled for 2 p.m. (PT) at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. in Berkeley, Ca.

All attendees will be required to show proof of Covid 19 vaccinations or recent negative Covid tests. The wearing of masks and social distancing will be strictly enforced.

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