Donald Martin

Born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1932, he was preceded in death by his parents, John and Mary Martin, and his two sisters, Madeline Lavoie and Gerry Masson.

He entered the United States Air Force in February of 1949 and honorably retired in September of 1971. His first assignment after basic training was at Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico. It was there, in 1950, there Don met a blonde beauty named Nola May Johnson. Any claims to bashfulness were quickly disproved when he proposed just three days later. They were married in April of 1951, and their love continued faithfully until her passing in 2015.

Their marriage was blessed with four children: Peter, born in 1952; Timothy, born in 1961; Melissa, born in 1968; and Kathleen, born in 1974. Timothy married Janie, and Kathleen married Greg Bair in 2004. He was the proud grandfather of four grandchildren—Sara, Nolan, Aaron, and Mollie—and a loving great-grandfather to one great-grandson, Derek.

After retiring from the Air Force, he relocated to Merced, California. With jobs scarce, the only position available was as a receiving warehouse manager at Long’s Drugs, which he accepted in November of 1971. He remained with Long’s until 1977, when he left to accept a position with the Merced County Housing Authority.

As a Section 8 Manager, he rose to the position of Deputy Director and eventually retired in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Don was selected under contract with the Housing Authority to serve as an Administrative Hearing Officer and Judge. He remained in that position until 2004, at which time, at the urging of his bride, Nola, he chose to fully retire.

In 2005, they elected to sell their Merced home and relocate to Fernley, Nevada. After eight years, Nola became ill, so they returned to Merced County, residing in Atwater until her passing. Nola passed into "his arms" in July of 2015.

Choosing to donate his time in service to others, he applied for and was accepted as a Volunteer in Police Service with the Atwater Police Department shortly before Nola’s death in 2015. He remained with the department until 2018.

He also trained with Mercy Hospital under the Chaplain’s Office as a spiritual volunteer, where he served faithfully until illness forced his retirement.

With his deep faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ, he faithfully served his church, First Baptist Church of Merced, until his death.

Don Martin’s spiritual journey began in parochial schools and was deepened through many faith-filled conversations with Nola. These discussions led to their mutual desire to attend a spiritual encounter weekend in 1974, where Don made a personal commitment to Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Following Nola’s passing, Don’s commitment continued to grow in seriousness through daily Bible study and active service at First Baptist Church, where he served as both a greeter and a deacon. One of Don’s favorite ways to display his generosity was by giving away pens printed with Bible verses.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the UCSF Foundation.

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