Robert Stockton Martin M.D.

Essex - Robert Stockton Martin, M.D. died July 1st, 2023, at Essex Meadows in Essex. Born in Tarrytown, N.Y., to Louise Pond and Eugene Martin, Dr. Martin was raised mainly in Crown Point, N.Y.

He attended Crown Point High School. He then went on to receive a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College, served in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1956, as a Lieutenant JG on a Destroyer Escort, and graduated from Cornell Medical School in 1961. After graduation from medical school, he interned at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and completed his residency and fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering (NYC). He pioneered the first oncology and radiology department at Hartford Hospital, now known as the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center, with Dr. Hank Williams and Dr. Grant Golub. He was chief of Medical Oncology on the tumor committee, a Fellow at the American College of Physicians and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Dentistry. He received Hartford Hospital's Distinguished Service Award and the Hartford County's Community Service Awards. He retired from the practice of medical oncology after 30 years. He also pioneered the Hospice and Palliative Care Program at Hartford Hospital. He strongly believed in comfort for those who were dying with cancer and the right to die with dignity. He lectured throughout the state and elsewhere on death and dying. Hartford Hospital's hospice and palliative care team was a special group of dedicated professionals. He served as a trustee of Westledge School, Miss Hall's School, The Mark Twain House and McLean Home where he served as chairman. He was also a corporator at Hartford Hospital and Watkinson School.

While Bob will be remembered publicly for his accomplishments and a lifetime of caring for his patients, those who knew him well will remember him for his love of his family and his dear friends. Bob loved music. He loved the outdoors. He loved hiking and climbing, went on several treks to Nepal, where his love for the Himalayas developed, and shared his adventures with slide show presentations. Bob loved the water, his Adirondack Guide Boat "Sayonara," sailing, fly fishing and being on the Cape in Chatham, Mass., where he spent many summers when his children were young, and in Old Black Point in Niantic, in his later years with his wife Sarah. Bob loved the Adirondacks and Vermont. He built his beloved post and beam dream home-away-from home in South Londonderry, Vt., where he enjoyed skiing, cross country skiing, splitting wood, snowstorms, walks, and reading books by his wood stove and fireplace.

Bob is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sarah Cooley Martin; his daughter Alexandra M. Mellor; and his son Andrew S. Martin; three stepsons, Whitman, David and Christopher Seymour; and his eleven grandchildren. He will be greatly missed but has left a legacy that will remain.

A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. for Saturday, July 8, at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. After the service, there will be a gathering for family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either McLean Home, The Mark Twain House or Hartford Hospital.