Dennis Robert Martin

Dennis Robert Martin passed away on July 30, 2022. He was born in Melrose Park, Illinois to Ed and Elsa Martin on March 17, 1949. He was named for the Irish singer, Dennis Day, and considered himself an honorary Irishman. The family moved with Ed's job until finally settling in Dallas. Dennis graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School there and then left for San Antonio and Trinity University where he had earned a full ROTC scholarship. After graduation in 1971, he entered the Army for 4 years. In 1972 he married Tonya Huffman and they eventually had 3 daughters. In 1977 he earned a master's degree in education at Boston University and deciding that the Army wasn't for him, applied to law school at St. Mary's University. He graduated with his law degree in 1979 and passed the bar on the first try. Except for his years in the Army where he spent time in Germany, Dennis spent his adult life in San Antonio where he practiced law for over 30 years as an individual practitioner. When someone would ask him what kind of a lawyer he was, he'd tell them that he was a pretty good one! He also knew pretty much every lawyer joke and would laugh politely when someone would tell him one. He almost always had heard it before. Dennis had a quick wit, a brilliant mind, impeccable manners, and a big heart. He was a practicing Christian and served in various positions at his church. Dennis loved visiting and being with his family, traveling, eating out with his friends, telling jokes, Las Vegas, dogs - of which he had had several, martinis, and a good scotch - and not necessarily in that order! Dennis loved magic his whole life. He was part of IBM Ring 18 and loved to go to the meetings and parties. He briefly performed as Magical Martinkus at children's parties but was content just to watch good magic. He saw every magic show he could and regularly traveled to Las Vegas for magic conventions where he loved rubbing elbows with the professionals and learning new techniques. He would record magic shows on television and more recently, was an avid follower of Penn and Teller's "Fool Us". The highlight of his magic "career" was touring Siegfried and Roy's private apartments in Las Vegas. He married Linda Paulson in 1989 and gained 2 stepdaughters. Over the years he and Linda went on numerous cruises and land trips and visited every continent save Antarctica. He loved the ambiance of the cruise ships and loved being able to dress up and wear his tux! Dennis had a wonderful sense of humor and loved jokes. He would always tell them when he got together with friends and family. If he especially liked a particular one, he would try to tell it to as many people as possible. He leaves behind quite a collection of material that he gathered over the years. He was also quite the bar tender and could make a mean old fashioned - a skill he learned from his father-in-law who gifted him with his well-seasoned muddler. Above all, Dennis was a loving, gentle, and caring husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He leaves behind Linda, his wife of 33 years, as well as daughters Laura Evans (John), Theresa Kalofonos (KOS), and Carolyn Magill (Brett). He also leaves behind stepdaughters, Carolyn Black (Paul) and Susan Paulson and 5 grandchildren, Andi Kalofonos, Ayden and Ethan Magill, and Liam and Eamon Black. Services will be held on Saturday, August 20th at 10 am at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1416 North Loop 1604E, San Antonio, 78232. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to San Antonio Area Retired Teachers Association (SAARTA), Scholarship Fund - c/o Mary Arnold Fox, 105 River View Dr., Boerne, TX 78006-3878, St. Thomas Church or charity of your choice.

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