John Francis Martin

1941 - 2018

John Francis Martin

Bonita Springs, FL

John "Jack" Francis Martin, passed away peacefully on January 18th, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. John was born on April 8th, 1941 in Philadelphia to Francis Martin and Ethel Hobor. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1959 and moved onto college at Temple University.

John met his wife Francisca Carmen Guillermety in Puerto Rico and they were married in 1964. John and Francisca (Jack & Paqui in those days) started out their married life in Pennsylvania, and were soon blessed with three children. They moved to Westport, CT in 1977 where John continued his successful career in the steel industry, first commuting to NYC and then started his own business, TransAmerican Steel, right in Westport. John loved sunny days and his summer weekends were spent swimming, boating, taking his kids water skiing and cooking out at Compo Beach. John was proficient at almost every card game imagined and was an avid reader and crossword puzzle enthusiast.

After retiring in 1996, John and Francisca moved to New Mexico and fulfilled their dream of building a sustainable home in La Cueva. During this time in New Mexico, John and Francisca became involved with many sustainable groups and projects. They spent their days gardening, walking the land with their dogs, enjoying Santa Fe and their beautiful home with family and friends.

John and Fran were snowbirds and traveled to Florida in the winters. They spent many days walking Barefoot Beach collecting shells, relaxing and enjoying sunsets. In 2007, John lost his beloved wife Fran. He continued to live in New Mexico, becoming involved with various charities and establishing membership in the brotherhood of Masons and The Shriners. In 2015, he moved full time to Bonita Springs, FL.

John will be remembered for his generosity, humor, honesty and gift of storytelling. He found great joy spending time with his four grandchildren and will be missed dearly. We celebrate his life and his passion to give to others.

He was preceded in death by his son, John Martin Jr.; wife, Francisca Martin and his sister Joan Fayer.

He is survived by his son, Jeffrey Martin and daughter-in-law Jennifer Martin of Fairfield, CT; daughter Carolyn Martin and son-in-law Robert Walters of Portland, OR; his four grandchildren Lucas and Bizunesh Walters and Mason and Kate Martin.

A memorial will be held at the Loretto Chapel, 207 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 in Santa Fe, NM on February 17th, 2018 at 5:30pm and at The Unitarian Church, 10 Lyons Plains Rd, Westport, CT 06880 on March 4th, 2018 at 4:00pm.

In memory of John, donations can be made to: Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2900 N. Rocky Point Dr. Tampa, FL 33607 or Quest for Peace, P.O. Box 356, Georgetown, CT 06829