Lewis Jacques (Jack) Martin passed away peacefully on September 21, 2016 in Bryan, Texas. A private family memorial service is planned. Services are in the care of Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Centers in Bryan College Station, Texas.
Jack was born to Edward I. Martin and Frances G. Martin on August 27, 1925 in New York City. He attended the University of Alabama and, briefly, Emory University before serving in the U.S. Navy as a Medical Corpsman in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from 1942 to 1945. After being discharged from the Navy, he graduated with his Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Jack married Betty Noel Martin on December 30, 1955. They were married for 51 years until her death in 2007. Jack and Betty raised Dr. Dorian Martin and Steve Martin, a U.S. Army veteran and safety manager in the energy sector.
After several years spent working in the retail sector, Jack and Betty purchased Leggett’s Fabrics in Odessa, Texas in 1972 and expanded their successful small business to Midland, Texas, and other locations in Texas and New Mexico. They retired in 1994.
Jack is survived by: both of his children; his brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Betty Martin, and their son, John; and his granddaughter, Samantha Butts and her husband, Adam Butts, and their four children, Dante, Morrigan, Pandora and Virgil.
Jack’s family wants to extend their heartfelt thanks to Dr. David Hackethorn and the various doctors and medical staff at Baylor Scott and White Healthwho cared for Dad over the past few years as well as the incredibly compassionate and professional staff at the Isle at Watercrest.
Jack actively supported many charities throughout his life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jack’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Homes for Our Troops, Feed the Children, or Texas A&M University’s KAMU Public Broadcasting.
Mr. Martin will be always remembered dearly at what he considered his second home – Isle at Watercrest. He always wanted to know the staff (nurses and CNAs) at the personal level and wished the best to all of us – in my case, he wished I could become a US citizen. I will personally miss his voice and his calls for help. May he rest in peace and may his family and friends remember the good memories they shared with him.