Hundreds gather at Pinehurst’s Fair Barn to honor Marty Russell McKenzie’s legacy of family, golf and community

Marty Russell McKenzie’s Celebration of Life on Feb. 8 held about 800 guests at The Fair Barn in Pinehurst.

The Pinehurst, North Carolina native was born April 10, 1945, and died peacefully at home on Jan. 17, 2026.

Son, Ashley James McKenzie addressed his family and friends. He said many people there knew his father as a business executive, but he was more than that. “He was Superman.” His father taught him to tuck in his shirt, stand tall, look a man in the eyes, how to work, to carry his father’s golf bag—and cuss.

Ashley McKenzie described being a young boy when Marty McKenzie adopted him and his sister, Susan Melinda McKenzie. Their father took them on vacation for enjoyment and enlightenment, things he said they would not have done without him.

“He was a kind man,” Ashley said as he explained how he’d suffered panic attacks as a young man and one night his father came downstairs and asked him if he was going to be okay and when Ashley said he didn’t know, his father slept next to him on the couch that night.

Richard “Dick” Gozon said McKenzie’s business friendship quickly turned into a family friendship. They spent much time together and said he loved McKenzie’s homemade Frogmore stew.

Gozon shared the anecdote about meeting McKenzie’s caddy called Hard Rock, so called because he would dance on top of a barrel for money, and when he fell off would get back up and dance again.

Of the many business investments McKenzie introduced and induced into Gozon’s life, the start-up in the late 90s of the USGA Junior Golf Classics has made the deepest impact on families. It has become tradition and introduced youngsters to world-class competition, while establishing goal-setting skills and healthy lifestyles.

Stephen Woodward emailed a note to Sandhills News.

“I do not recall the time or place when I entered Marty McKenzie’s orbit, but I consider myself fortunate that we became fast friends after my family fulfilled a longtime ambition to be permanent residents of Pinehurst. I was attracted to his unassuming personality, his wit, and his devotion to core American values and free markets.

We collaborated on visits by his buddies who form The New York Tenors and their local performances. We were natural proponents of conservative ideologies as supporters of the county Republican party. And I was thrilled to join Marty’s Pinehurst Racing Partners (PRP) to participate in fractional ownership of harness racing horses (standardbreds).

Many investors in the PRP ownership syndicate are dedicated to sustaining Marty’s iconic legacy and his vision for Pinehurst as an epicenter of standardbred training and racing.” 

Read about his passion for horses here.

From his business legacy with Olmsted Village Company, Biltmore Place office park, The Theater Building and Department Store building, Wee Pines miniature golf course and Homewood Suites to his passion for Pinehurst Racing Partners, as son Ashley McKenzie said, using his father’s favorite phrase “at the end of the day” Marty McKenzie will be remembered as a kind man.

Feb. 9, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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