Donald Ray Martin

Mr. Donald Ray Martin passed away at the age of 83 on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. Don was born on Sunday, June 30, 1935 to his parents Don and Margie Martin in Dallas, Texas. Don always thought of himself as a lifelong resident of Southeast Texas; a long-time resident of Nederland, TX, after he retired from DuPont Beaumont, he and his wife moved to Colmesneil, Texas to enjoy living at the lake house on Lake Amanda. He coached baseball for many generations, taking pride in his many All-Star Players. He was a well-known, well respected basketball referee for the Southeast Texas area and a member of the SBOA. Don loved to fish, golf, garden, landscape, hunt and was really a jack of all trades. Don was very creative, for him basic just wouldn’t do-- he added his mark to everything. From a young age, Don’s children knew him to be a prankster and joker; he was always good for a “story” and rather skilled at “pulling someone’s leg”- and let’s not forget his personal inside joke of introducing himself as D.R. Martin! If you needed help for any reason, Don could always be depended on to be front and center to assist. Don was the kind of good samaritan who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to lend a hand; many recall his refusal to pass up a car in need of help whenever he saw one on the side of the road. But that caring heart and kind demeanor didn’t stop there; Don was a favorite with any of the restaurants he frequented- each waitress who saw him walk in knew immediately that he needed his sweet tea, and that laughs were not far away. Don truly never met a stranger and was very well loved by everyone—including the many rescues of the four-legged varieties that Don happily rehomed anywhere he could find a place for them. He was a man of many words and a vibrant story teller; maybe his love for trivia and his vast command of those random facts made those stories more colorful, but likely it was the amazing timing he had in his delivery of his tales that will leave us all fondly remembering “that time he told us…” From being the only brother amidst his 4 cherished and well-loved sisters to raising his own family, Don really understood the importance of family and made it a priority always. Don was a real character in life and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Don R. Martin was preceded in death by his loving parents Don and Margie Martin and his beloved sister, Diane Scott. Left to honor Don’s memory is his devoted wife 37 years, Sandra Martin; his children, Joel Martin, Jennifer Martin Sinclair, Blane Simoneaux and wife Elizabeth, and Kurt Simoneaux and wife Patience; his sisters, Bernice Ellzey, Lynne Hammack, and Patricia Morton; many beloved nieces and nephews; his grandchildren, Joshua Martin, Katie Martin, Cassidy Sinclair, Gunnar Sinclair, Duncan Simoneaux, Ashley Simoneaux, Summer Simoneaux, Adam Simoneaux,  and Kurt Simoneaux, Jr.; as well as 11 great-grandchildren and numerous friends.

A life honoring Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 1, 2018 at the Forest Oaks Funeral Home Chapel in Jasper, Texas at 2 p.m.

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