John Martin

John William Martin was born on May 12, 1922, and died on January 25, 2005, after battling with the complications of several strokes. John was born in Columbus, Ohio, the eldest son of William McCarthy Martin and Esther McCombs Martin. In his early years in Ohio, John was always industrious, working several jobs while attending high school. Upon graduation from North High in Columbus, he enlisted in the Army. He was selected to be, and trained as, an original member of the elite paratropper group, Company E of the 101st Airborne, which was honored in the HBO tv series "Band of Brothers." He trained at Camp Taccoa, Georgia, during which time he married his wife of 62 years, Patricia Mary Mantel. As a member of the Band of Brothers, he parachuted into Normandy in advance of the allied "D Day" invasionary force on June 6, 1944. During his World War II service, John also served with distinction in repelling the German tank force at Bastoigne, Belgium, which was an instrumental battle in turning the war in favor of the allies and lead to the eventual defeat of Germany. After the war, John returned to Columbus, Ohio with his wife Pat, and started a family. Always industrious, he worked for the C&O Railroad and built homes on the side. In 1960, at the age of 38, with $10,000 in his pocket and over the protests of his wife and two children, he moved his family to Phoenix, Arizona. He formed his own construction company, and built numerous custom homes in the upscale Paradise Valley area of the Valley of the Sun. Later in his career he built commercial projects in Arizona and Montana, including nursing care facilities, shopping centers, and office buildings. In the early 1970s he visited and fell in love with western Montana, in which he eventually purchased a residence in Missoula and three working ranches. For the next 30 years he and wife Pat shared their lives between Phoenix and Missoula. John lived a very full life and accomplished everything he wanted. He is survived by his wife, Patricia of Phoenix, a daughter, Sharon Martin Snavely (Don) of Missoula, Montana, and a son William Bryan Martin (Jill) of Phoenix, Arizona, a brother, Robert Martin of Columbus, Ohio, a sister, Virginia Fager of Syracuse, New York. John is also survived by four grandchildren, Jeffrey S. Isaly (Seanne) of Portland, John W. Martin II (Lisa) of Phoenix, Bradley W. Isaly of Scottsdale, and Jessica Martin Sizemore (Chris) of Vancouver, Washington, as well as seven great grandchildren. Throughout his life John remained very close with the members of easy company, annually attending their conventions for 58 years. A memorial service will be held at Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary, 8555 East Pinnacle Peak Road, in Scottsdale, at 10:00 am on Saturday, January 29. Memorial contributions to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014

Published in The Arizona Republic on Jan. 28, 2005