Thomas J. Martin

Thomas Jeffery Martin, 62, of Gloucester, MA, died unexpectedly on Monday, July 21, 2025.
Born and raised in Beverly, he was the son of the late Fred and Loretta (Kopka) Martin. He grew up in a house on Parsons Drive, and spent much of his childhood enjoying summers on Ossipee Lake, where he enjoyed waterskiing, blueberry picking, and fishing. During winter months, he learned to skate on Kelleher's Pond, later being coached by his father and playing on his youth hockey team. He always enjoyed spending time with his brother and sisters, who were always there for him. In recent years, Tom got his passion for photography from his brother Mike and they enjoyed taking photos together and cheering on each others' work. Tom and his wife loved going to concerts and plays with his sister Linda and brother-in-law Fuji and Tom always looked forward to the huge family gatherings organized and hosted by his sister Kim and brother-in-law Mike.
In Beverly, Tom had formed a lifelong bond with dear friends-Greg Garrity, Matt Lewis, Tom Amore, Tom Mager, and Jerry Parisella-who remained his closest companions throughout his adult life. They remember him as a youth with a twinkle in his eye and athletic prowess-on a snowboard, hockey rink, skateboard, mountain bike, or running a half marathon. Tom eventually moved to Gloucester in 2012, where he found both love and a creative sanctuary by the sea.
Tom graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Over the years, he brought his talents and care to a range of vocations: working in the restaurant industry, serving as a life insurance agent, as a graphic artist for a print shop, and holding roles at the Christian Science Monitor and Montserrat College of Art.
He was the beloved husband of Kirstin Elaine Martin (née Myers), who writes:
"I loved Thomas Martin with all my heart and all my soul. From our first conversation on October 22, 2010, we knew we were meant to be. By the second day, he wrote me a poem called The Falconer. On the third, he picked up a hope chest he saw by the side of the road in Gloucester and said, 'Yes, I'm going to marry you.' That hope chest now holds our linens.
Tom made me laugh with his perfectly awful wry and corny sense of humor, turned me into a punster, made the most delicious pizza, burgers, and soups, and made me feel eternally 20 years old. We read books together, listened to audiobooks, and even became dog whisperers together.
He was a true artist, working in photography, drawing, watercolor, oil painting, wood-carving (tobacco pipes, flutes), pottery, and more. He even tried glass-blowing-and earlier this month, he completed his first neurographic coloring book, which I will publish and mint as an NFT in his honor, as he requested. He used to say, 'People can enjoy my art after I'm gone.' He never cared for gallery fame, but every time he did enter a contest, he won."
Tom was deeply proud of his son, Eric Martin, and of Eric's wonderful wife, Anna. Eric, of Groton, CT, serves as a submariner in the U.S. Navy and is a devoted husband, father, dog whisperer, mutton buster, and rabbit tamer. Tom was crazy about their children, Julian and Arabella Martin. He is also survived by his ex-wife, Lynne Duby-Martin, with whom he remained friends after they raised their amazing son Eric together.
In addition to his wife and son, Tom is survived by his stepchildren Kane and Ariana Oshiro, and daughter-in-law Jaimie Cappucci; his brother Mike Martin and his wife Debbie of Ware; his sister Kim Bushey and her husband Mike of Beverly; his sister Linda Fortunato and her husband Tom of Beverly. He is also survived by his beloved rescue dogs, half-Doberman half-Lab Maggie, and German Shepherd Hunter, of Gloucester.
Funeral services for Thomas are private, at his request. Contributions may be made in his memory to the Grace Center, Gloucester, MA.
Arrangements by Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street, Beverly.
Condolences may be left at www.campbellfuneral.com.