Charles David Martin

Charles David Martin...Most people called him David or Dave. However, to those closest to him, he was called loving husband, Daddy, Dad, Daddy-O, Grandpa, Pa-Pa...He passed away at 9:30 p.m., Friday, July 9, 2010, at his home in Vienna, Illinois, surrounded by his loving family. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 13, at the Community of Christ Church in Tunnel Hill (Webbtown), IL. Visitation will be after 5 PM Moday at the Bailey Funeral Home in Vienna, IL. Interment will be in the Webb Cemetery. David Martin was born October 1, 1931, in Goreville, IL, the first child of Charles and Bernice (Coonce) Martin. David married Norma Webb on April 8, 1950. They celebrated their 60 years of marriage and deep love this past April. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Mickey Finch, of Anna, IL; his son, Neil and daughter-in-law Kim Martin of Vienna, IL; his son, Eric and daughter-in-law Jeanne Martin of St. Louis, MO; his grandchildren, Michelle Hodges, Nathan (Misty) Hodges, Brandon Martin, Kisten Martin, Dustin Martin, Daniel Martin, and Julia Martin, and his great-granchildren, Camden and Taj Hodges, and his sweet bird dog, Sammie. He is also survived by his brother, Jerry (Nancy) Martin, sisters, Rita (Terry) Childers and Carol (Peter) Hsin; many brothers-in-laws, sisters-in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends. He is preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, Cord Finch. David Martin served on the Goreville Grade School Board for many years being very dedicated to quality education for all students. He also served on the first Housing Board in Johnson County. He was a member of IBEW Local #702. He attended and supported the Community of Christ Church at Tunnel Hill. He was a very hard worker starting at the Pyramid Block Co. in Goreville for 14 years then working at the Southern Illinois Power Co-Op for 35 years. Those 35 years were the best because he loved his job and the people he worked with. He rarely missed a day of work. David's idea of a great vacation was walking the hills of Johnson County enjoying his favorite sport--quail hunting. An added pleasure would be to talk and hunt with his cousin, Dale Coonce. He also loved hunting pheasant with his son, Eric, at Rend Lake. David was an avid reader and traveled the world through books. He read and knew most facts about World War II. History was his passion. The librarians were his special friends and assured he had plenty of all kinds of books. He loved animals, especially, his bird dogs throughout the years. He loved feeding and watching birds of all kinds. He could identify them and tell about their characteristics and habits. He also studied weather and could predict what was going to happen as well or better than any trained weatherman. He had his grandchildren so convinced that they would call and ask him what the weather was going to be so they could figure out their plans. Another passion was his gardening. He worked hard to assure his rows were straight and weeds were out so he could watch his corn and tomatoes grow. He loved sharing his produce with family and friends. He was an awesome pinocle player, and his favorite people to beat were his brother-in-law and wife, Ken and Edith Webb. He also loved playing scrabble with his wife, Norma, and he did not mind losing too many since she was his favorite "happy" cook when she won. He loved watching most sports and, especially, the Cardinals and Illini. If they would have listened to his coaching from his La-Z-Boy chair, they would have won many more games. And the world would have been a much better place with his advice since he and his friend, Norm Camden, enjoyed having coffee while talking about and solving many of the world's problems during those times. The sports he enjoyed most was watching his children and grandchildren play. He paced, worried, and cheered throughout many, many basketball, baseball, and softball games. Overall, he would often say that his greatest accomplishments were his wonderful marriage to his dear wife, Norma, and raising their children to be "responsible, hard-working, and college-educated." No matter what though, they always knew he was "there" for them. He often said, "In a 100 years, it won't matter." However, David was a humble, kind, hard-working, opinionated, intelligent, caring, honest, trustworthy, reliable, loyal, generous man. He will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved him best forever in our hearts. David bravely fought cancer for 8 years. Along the way, there were many wonderful people who helped but, he, especially, appreciated the nurse practitioner, Frank Crider, in Paducah, KY; Dr. Govindan and his special nurse, Susie, and Dr. Strope in St. Louis, MO; and the TIP Home Health and Hospice nurses in Vienna. Memorials can be made to The Vienna Public Library, Vienna, IL; Webb Cemetery, c/o Phil Webb, 5140 Tunnel Hill Rd., Tunnel Hill, IL 62972; TIP Hospice, 125 Leigh Dr., Anna, IL; and to the Thoracic Oncology Research Fund, c/o Ramaswamy Govindan, M.D., 660 S. Euclid, Campus Box 8056, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Charles David Martin

October 1, 1931 - July 9, 2010