Martin Obando Obituary
Growing up in California, Mexico, and Oregon as the eldest of four siblings, Marty developed n adventurous spirit that carried him through life. As a young man, he was a Boy Scout and earned the rank of Life Scout. In 1960, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Ord, California. After completing his service, he embarked on a maritime career by joining the Merchant Marines, where he achieved the esteemed rank of Master Mariner. His love for the water was undeniable-whether sailing across vast oceans or scuba diving in the Caribbean while living aboard his twin-hull 40' catamaran.
Beyond the sea, Marty built a remarkable career in roofing. Licensed as a Master Roofer he owned and operated his own roofing company in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, specializing in cedar shingles and shakes. With over 50 years of expertise in the field, he became highly regarded for his ability to apply shingles or shakes to nearly any surface. His knowledge and skill led him to serve as the International Director of Application and Specifications for the Cedar Shingle and Shake Bureau. In this role, he traveled worldwide conducting roof inspections, visiting mills across the United States, developing training programs, and later offering consulting services. A true craftsman with a hammer, Marty's grand-nephews often challenged him to nailing contests-only to be bested every time by his impressive one-hit technique.
Later in life, Marty chose to settle near family in Utah. He found his forever home in Mount Pleasant and used it as a base for continued global travels. His journeys took him across the Mediterranean and to destinations such as Egypt, Israel, China, and throughout the Caribbean.
Those who knew Marty will remember his larger-than-life personality and quick wit-he never missed an opportunity to share a joke or bring laughter to those around him. He had a generous heart and dedicated much of his time and resources to causes close to him. His kindness and willingness to help others left a lasting impact on many.
Marty was preceded in death by his parents, Frances Mary Harley and Dr. Ladislao Leoncio Obando; his brother Richard Gabriel Obando; and his sister Penny Joyce Simmons (née Hickman). He is survived by his sister Sue Funn (née Hickman) and her husband Lee; nephews Martin (Wilma) Obando and Bryan Obando; nieces Kim (Bob) Everett and Chris Simmons; as well as numerous other nieces and nephews including Lance (Tiffany) Funn, Daron (Darlene) Funn, Stephany (Chris) Cable, Erick (Felisha) Funn, Jennifer (Patrick) Campbell, and Alyson Funn.
A memorial service celebrating Marty's life will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Monday, February 10, 2025 at 461 North 300 West in Mount Pleasant, Utah at 6:00 PM. A backup location will be located at his home in Mount Pleasant, Utah.
Marty's legacy lives on through the many lives he touched with his humor, generosity, craftsmanship, and adventurous spirit. He will be deeply missed but fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
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2 Entries
Lynne Christensen
June 4, 2025
I am incredibly saddened at writing this entry for Marty´s memory book. I worked with Marty since 1994 and he had a significant influence on my career and outlook on life. Many people come and go during the course of one´s years here on this planet, however, some are far more memorable than others. Marty was simply unforgettable.
When I started in the roofing industry as a mailroom clerk, Marty was always kind, pleasant and happy to share his knowledge. We struck up a good working relationship and enjoyed being on numerous roofing industry teams over the next 20 years. Marty was the maestro of cedar roofing technical knowledge and everyone in the industry knew it. He had specialty design roofing knowledge and whenever there was a really tough assignment, Marty was the man we´d call to send to the job site in hopes of figuring out a workable solution. He was adept at cedar roofing installation, product grading, crew management and linking weather perils to roof performance. Colleagues called him the `pro from Dover´.
Marty always made me smile. He was generous to a fault, and yes Marty, it was oversharing when you frequently told us all about the brown recluse spider bite on your toe as well as the various pranks you played on nurses when in hospital. I remember one odd phone call where Marty likely should NOT have been given access to a phone so soon after surgery - it was an interesting conversation to say the least.
Later on in life, we enjoyed many philosophical conversations, and Marty always had a lot to share about different cultures, religions and tolerance for other perspectives. He was a deep thinker, committed to his volunteer work and was keen to leave this world a better place. His description of skydiving was that it was "... a terminal velocity-sensation like nothing else ... you hit maximum speed and you´re just floating around ..."
The last time I spoke with Marty was in January 2025 and he was cheerful as ever. We had a great conversation and he ended the call as he always did, "Hey. You sound good. If there´s anything I can ever do for you, you let me know. Bye Bye."
Marty crammed what seemed like four massively full lives inside of one, always being present in the moment and willing to tackle any great adventure that came his way. There will never be another man like him and I am grateful to have known him. I am flattered that Marty called me a trusted friend - earning that title from him was an honor.
Lynne Christensen
Friend and Work Colleague
Canada
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Lynne Christensen
June 3, 2025
I thought Marty's family and friends might appreciate these two photos of him. The first picture is of Marty at a roofing industry meeting. The second is a group photo of roofing industry colleagues: Tom Seely, Lynne Christensen, Patty Wood-Shields and Marty at Patty's home.
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