Mr. George Robert Martin

George Martin, beloved husband, father and grandfather to both his own and his “bonus” families, was the son and grandson of Methodist ministers from the Holston Conference in Tennessee, Isaac Patton Martin and Paul Patton Martin. George’s mother, Mattie Belle, was a homemaker whose art George loved. In particular, Mattie created a beautiful charcoal drawing which hung for many years in George’s home and which was dated November 3, 1907. George graduated from Knoxville High School, attended the University of Tennessee, and graduated from East Tennessee State University where he participated in ROTC. Commissioned upon graduation as a second lieutenant in the US Army, he spent two years in the Panama Canal zone, where he became a Jungle Expert at the Jungle Warfare Training Center. His platoon was always the first to march in in parades as the much-adored, “lean and mean” second lieutenant prepared them to be the best possible soldiers. Following his military service, George met and married Jo Ann Condra of Dunlap, Tennessee, and together they were blessed with three children, Linda Ann, Steven Douglas and Catherine Ann. George and Jo Ann were longtime members of Briarcliff United Methodist Church, where George was the chairman of the Board of Stewards and the Pastor-Parish Relations committee, among other responsibilities, for many years. Together, Jo Ann and George also served as co-Presidents of Henderson Mill Elementary School PTA. In his early career, George served in significant management data processing positions for companies such as Combustion Engineering, Mead Packaging, Brown Engineering (where his computer knowledge assisted Verner von Braun as rockets were in their infancy), and with Cecil Day of Days Inn. His tenure in computer technology began when punch cards were the gold standard and continued on to the technological sophistication of today, when he mastered the smart phone and grew to be quite fond of it! Further in his career, George was interviewed by then-Georgia-governor Jimmy Carter, and was appointed by Mr. Carter as director of data processing for the Georgia Department of Revenue. Subsequent to these professional endeavors, George founded his own company, George Martin Associates, Inc., which provided computer support services and staffing to such companies as Coca Cola, Georgia Power, Arthur Andersen and Emory University Medical School. George’s many community and civic activities include his 13 years of perfect attendance at the Rotary Club of West DeKalb. George served as president of that club in its inaugural year, winning Best Club in District, an honor which to this day is stunning in its accomplishment. He served on the board of Homestretch, GAPS and numerous other industry organizations, always bringing to them a new dimension of insight and wisdom that enhanced and broadened their commitment and direction. Now a member of Roswell United Methodist Church, George was selected to serve as president of the Christians Under Construction (CUC) class, an honor which he was enjoying enormously and was performing with his usual integrity, kindness and intelligence. In July 1996, George met Sandy in the sanctuary at Peachtree Presbyterian Church and they were married in December 1997 in that same sanctuary. Sandy’s two daughters, Jennifer and Susanna, embraced George as though he were their own father, and they, their husbands and children have loved and adored him throughout their marriage. Similarly, Sandy and George’s children and grandchildren have a warm and loving relationship which helps to sustain Sandy in these difficult days. George was predeceased by his wife and the mother of his three children, Jo Ann Condra Martin; his grandchildren, Jessica Lynn Foshee and Benjamin Conner Martin; his brother Paul Patton Martin, and his sister Martha Lee Martin. He is survived by his wife, Sandy Martin; his three children and their spouses, Linda Wood and Rev. Robert B. Wood; Steve and Kristin Martin; and Catherine and Paul Bogdan; and his “bonus” daughters and husbands, Jennifer and Mayson Smith and Susanna and Greg Mann. He is also survived by his grandchildren JoAnn Foshee, Zachary Martin, Evelyn Martin, Luann Bogdan, Paul Bogdan, Quinn Martin and Ava Martin, as well as his step-granddaughters, Caroline Wood and Becca Wood, and his “bonus” grandchildren Hayden Smith, Davis Smith, Michael Mann, Mackenzie Mann and Samuel George Mann. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House, Roswell United Methodist Church in Roswell, Georgia, or Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Dunlap, Tennessee.

Mr. George Robert Martin

December 7, 1931 - November 3, 2019