John "Marty" Joseph Martin

Obituary for John Joseph Martin

John Joseph Martin "Marty" passed away August 8, 2019 due to complications of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).  He was 67 years of age.  John was born in Aberdeen, Maryland on December 23, 1951 to Richard and Eliza Martin.

John graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1970 and enlisted in the U. S. Navy in 1971. During his 20 years of Honorable Service, Marty served in Guam and Okinawa until 1979, then was stationed at N.A.S. Fallon, Nevada where he served as a Career Counselor and was later assigned to the Bombing Range.  While on leave in Fairfield, California, he met the love of his life, Lynn, on a blind date and instantly knew he was going to marry her.  Five months later, he proposed to Lynn on New Year's Day 1980, and they were married February 24 ^th . During the first year of duty at N.A.S. Fallon, Marty secretly took classes with Father Gallagher to convert to Catholicism.  He surprised Lynn with this decision, and they were soon remarried in the Catholic Church, with Fr. Gallagher officiating.  In 1983, Marty reported to the U.S.S. Wabash home port, Long Beach Naval Yard until 1987. During his service on the Wabash, John was made Chief Petty Officer.

He was transferred to China Lake Naval Weapons Center in 1987 and worked in Naval Intelligence at Michelson Laboratory.  While stationed at China Lake, Marty was advanced to Senior Chief Petty Officer. After 20 years of active duty military, Marty retired in 1991.  He worked as a Security Guard at China Lake until 1995.  He then transferred to Public Works Transportation until he retired in July of 2018.

John was an active member of the Knights of Columbus since joining in 1989.  He served as Grand Knight and was involved in many of their activities; especially Sunday night bingo.  He served as Hall Manager until July 2019.  He was very passionate about the Hall and spent countless hours making sure it was running smoothly – just as any Navy Senior Chief would!  He cared very deeply for his fellow Knights and everything the Knights represented.

Marty was a die-hard Green Bay Packer and New York Yankee's fan!  He held Monday Night Football at the Knights Hall for 20 years where he hosted yearly Super Bowl parties with his best friend Ron Gotzler.

John is preceded in death by his father Richard Houghton Martin and his stepfather, John Williams. He is survived by his mother Eliza Williams and his three siblings; Madeline Martin, Shirley Kukich, and Richard Martin.

John is survived by his loving wife, Lynn, whom he was married to for 39 wonderful years, his four daughters; Debbie Arlow with husband Joel, Donna Peebles with husband Eric, Katie Sanders with husband Cliff, Theresa Keeler with husband Chris, and his son Brian, as well as, his greatest treasures, his grandchildren; Ryan, Erica, Emily, Tyler, Zerlene, Maxwell and Allison.

Immediately following the funeral on Thursday there will be a reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Knights of Columbus, Columbus Club, Ridgecrest CA.