Donald Martin

Donald Martin July 9, 1933 - Nov. 11, 2010 Resident of Castro Valley Beloved father, mentor, husband, inventor, treasure hunter, union member, and hero, made his transition to his next life in the early morning hours of Veteran's Day; only too poetic for a man so very proud of his service. Known as "Donnie," "Marty," or "Martin" as a youth, simply "Don" as he matured, Mr. Martin rose to the aid of his family early, working at a local grocery at 8 years old. He attended Hayward High and enlisted first into the Navy, and then the Army in 1953, only months before the Korean War armistice. Traveling through Asia, he eventually taught skiing and mountain climbing in Japan. As a depression era child, Don was never afraid of work and went right to it, caring for two families at times. His heroism went beyond the hypothetical: he literally saved the lives of 5 people, on separate occasions, including his own father. Don has had an eclectic professional life, holding jobs with San Francisco Federal, Lockeed-Martin, and various construction and cement companies. An avid treasure hunter and local history aficionado, he spent many weekends with his metal detector and gold panning equipment in the back-roads of Northern California, and eventually opened his own store, Martin's Treasure Chest, in Castro Valley. His personal ethics were unparalleled, even when he felt sometimes that nice guys finish last. Don carried a lifelong respect for the Salvation Army, and he taught his children that same value of charity. He spent his life giving back to the planet, donating his time, money, or even delivering turkeys at Thanksgiving to others in need. Mr. Martin claimed to be simple and not an overly educated man, yet his feats of engineering as a contractor or his prototypes of toys and games he invented say otherwise. Despite his concern of what kind of legacy he might leave, Donald Anthony Martin has left a wealth of untold riches for those he's left behind: his wife of many years, Eryka, his daughters Jeannie and Christine, his sons Dominic, Daniel, and Demetrius, Mark and the late Douglas Martin, as well as grandchildren Zachariah, Martin, Angelle, Chad, and Chazlyn, great-grandchildren, sisters Dorothy Urdiales and Collette Morris, and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held at Jess C. Spencer Mortuary 21228 Redwood Rd. in Castro Valley on Monday, November 22, at 6 PM with a vigil service at 7PM. Funeral services at All Saints Catholic Church, 22824 2nd St., Hayward, November 23, at 10:30 AM. Jess C. Spencer Mortuary & Crematory (510) 581-9133