Martin Luther Cornick IV

Martin Luther Cornick IV NORFOLK - Martin Luther Cornick IV died suddenly Aug. 18, 2008. He was a husband, father and best friend. Martin was born June 19, 1954, in Norfolk, and was a lifelong Norfolk resident. He attended Larchmont Elementary, Blair Middle and Maury High schools. He earned a degree in business administration from Chowan University and also attended Elon College. He worked as a home improvements contractor for many years. He married Mary Louise Mason in 1985. When his son Martin Mason Cornick was born in 1991, Martin left home improvements and began his ultimate and most important career as a stay-at-home Dad. He also cared for his parents during the last several years. Martin was the nicest of nice guys, a truly good man. He had a big smile and a big laugh. He always met you with that smile and a joy in life that left you smiling too. Martin loved the local rivers and wildlife. A true water rat from childhood, he spent as much time as he could along the waterfront or on the water. The Lafayette River was his home base, but he enjoyed the Tidewater river network, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. He enjoyed boats, fishing, crabbing, his jet ski, surfing and boogie boarding. He loved Virginia and the North Carolina Outer Banks, especially Corolla. He was a gardener and a fantastic at-home landscaper, specializing in a green natural environment of color and wild beauty. He had a lifelong interest in history and could trace his ancestry through the Civil War and the American Revolution back to the earliest Virginia colonies. He was fascinated with Native American artifacts. He loved talk radio, country music and the Washington Redskins. Martin is survived by Mary Louise Mason, his wife of 23 years, and his son, Martin Mason Cornick. He is also survived by his mother, Virginia West Cornick; half-sister, Joice Ira; aunt, Margaret Baily; his extended family of in-laws, the Masons, and his beloved cats, Sophie, Windy, Jamie and Toby. He was predeceased by his father, Martin L. Cornick Jr.; his brother, Wilson W. Cornick and his cats, Shadow, Grady and especially Puddy the Redskin cat. A public memorial service for Martin will be held today at 1 p.m. in H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, 1501 Colonial Ave., Norfolk. Please consider a donation to charity in Martin's memory. Martin loved the Norfolk Botanical Garden and contributed regularly to the Norfolk SPCA and the Virginia Beach SPCA but a contribution to any charity would extend the goodness and kindness of his life. Online condolences may be sent to the family at hdoliver.com.