JOHN MARTINMy father was born in 1934. From what I understand, he left school in first grade to take care of his family. He started working at the age of 6, right before WW2. He started out using his wagon to delivery coal to various places, then moved on to working the fields, so he really never got to go to school. Im not going to go through all the details, but suffice to say, not having the opportunity to have a formal education continued to haunt him for life. Soon it was time to join the military, through some fault of his own, when he arrived on base, as the story goes, a junior officer decided to have fun at my fathers expense, and ordered my father to clean the inside bottom of a metal garbage can. He made my father stick his head into the can and then start pounding the outside of the can. That probably didnt go as the officer had planned, because my father took exception, and beat the junior officer into submission. Two senior officers from the newly formed Army Rangers witnesses the altercation, and felt that this action qualified my father to join the Rangers. By the time my father came back from Korea and the beginnings of Vietnam, he was already married to my mother, and eventually I came along, and a few years later my brother joined our family. My Dad had a few jobs, as most young men do. He eventually got a job at Ford, where he worked for 31 years, without a single absence. When he finally retired from Ford, He worked for the city of Mason Ohio where he eventually became the head of their park rangers. He and my mother also volunteered to assist with hurricane relief and charities through the UAW. My father has been married to the same beautiful woman, Norma Marin, for 67 years. He was a shining example of honor integrity, character, strength, fearlessness and kindness. He was a true self-made man to his very last breath, and I am honored and humbled to be his son.-In loving memory, his son Gary Martin.John Martin is survived by his sister: Joyce Blaha, his wife: Norma Martin, his sons: Gary Martin and Michael Martin, his grandchildren: Angelique Morgan, Matthew Martin, and Daniel Martin. And his great-grandchildren: Gavin Morgan, Caleb Morgan, and Madeline Morgan.