David "Dave" Martin

In Memoriam: David Martin
By the Lake, Where Memory Lingers

On the tranquil late afternoon of Sunday, December 28, 2025, David Martin passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy as enduring as the waters of Lake Michigan that shaped his youth. He is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-five years, four children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, a constellation of lives illuminated by his gentle presence.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, David Martin was, from the earliest days, a child of wind and water. The boy who once traced the shoreline as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Sea Scout, grew into a young man who raced 19-foot Lightning sailboats across the Green Bay arm, his spirit buoyed by the restless waves and the promise of distant horizons. The cadence of his youth, marked by laughter, camaraderie, and the shimmer of the lake, echoed through the years, shaping a soul attuned to both adventure and reflection.

Education, for David Martin, was not merely a pursuit but a pilgrimage. He graduated from West High School in Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin, earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering, a discipline that, in its essence, seeks to harmonize the built world with the natural. On September 10, 1960, he wed Audrey Dally, his high school sweetheart, and together they embarked on a journey that would span continents and decades, their partnership a quiet anchor amid the shifting tides of time.

His professional life unfolded in service to community and progress. First with the City of Waukesha, then returning to Green Bay to help expand the city's infrastructure, David Martin became manager of the Metropolitan Sewage District, earning accolades for his vision and stewardship. In 1978, he joined Black & Veatch, and later founded Martin Consulting, traversing the United States and the Middle East. Each project as a chapter in the ongoing story of human ingenuity and connection.

Yet, it was in the quieter moments, serving as chairman of the HOA lawn & grounds committee, tending to the green spaces of his subdivision, that David Martin revealed the gentle artistry of a life well-lived. Here, among neighbors and friends, he cultivated not only lawns but a sense of belonging, a legacy of care that will linger long after the last autumn leaf has fallen.

In the end, it is not the grand gestures but the accumulation of small acts, the steady hand on the tiller, the patient listening, the unwavering love that shape the contours of a life. David Martin's story, inscribed in the hearts of those who remain, is a quiet affirmation that even as the world turns, the memory of kindness endures.

A memorial service for Dave Martin will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 14, at Village Presbyterian Church, 14895 Antioch Rd, Overland Park. The family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to City Union Mission, Salvation Army, or Wayside Waifs, honoring David's lifelong commitment to compassion and community.