John William Martin Obituary (1933 - 2017)

Born Jun 01, 1933, John William Martin attended William Byrd High School in Vinton, VA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about John William Martin.

Graduation Year	Class of 1951
Date of Birth	Jun 01, 1933
Date of Passing	Oct 07, 2017
About	John William Martin, 84, of Roanoke, Va., died on Saturday, October 7, 2017, at the Virginia Veterans Care Center. He was born in Kernersville, N.C. and was the son of William J. Martin and Mattie Stewart Martin. His family moved to Vinton, Va., when he was a young boy. John graduated from William Byrd High School. After graduation, he joined the United States Navy and served from 1951 to 1955 and was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany for three years. Upon being honorably discharged, John attended Roanoke College for two years but decided instead to pursue his trucking career. He then purchased a 1954 B-61 Mack Truck that he couldn’t even drive. John was determined to learn the business and become successful. In later years, he worked at Hennis Freight Lines as an over-the-road driver and soon became the Drive Supervisor of Personnel at the Roanoke terminal. In 1971, John left Hennis and purchased a group of low-powered trucks and became connected with a large tank line company as a Fleet operator. In 1972, he started his business, Martin Transport Co., Inc. which he operated until 2002 as a carrier of bulk and liquid products, specializing in plastic pellets which were transferred from rail to truck and distributed in the southeastern part of the country. His business was a family run endeavor, and both John Jr. and Nancy enjoyed many days there helping in the day to day operations. John was a member of Bonsack Baptist Church and greatly enjoyed attending Sunday School and services until he was no longer able to attend. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Some of his proudest accomplishments were to see each of his eight grandchildren graduate from college. John also greatly enjoyed many days at Smith Mountain Lake, tubing and skiing with his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty; as well as his son, John Martin Jr. and his wife, Roxanne, of Wirtz, Va.; and two daughters, Christy M. Pearcy and her husband, Curtis, of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Nancy M. Clark and her husband, Craig, of Union Hall, Va. John is also survived by eight grandchildren, Katie, Kelly, Anne, Susan, Sarah, Leigh, Clint (Kim) and Lucas; and his three sisters, Vilma Graves of Richmond, Va., Francis Wright of Lynchburg, Va., and Norma Jean Markey of Roanoke, Va. The family wishes to thank the entire staff of the Virginia Veterans Care Center for the loving and thoughtful care that he received while in their facility. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Monday, October 9, 2017, at Oakey’s North Chapel. The Service will be held at noon on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at Oakey’s North Chapel with Dr. Robert Moore officiating. Interment will follow at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please give your donations to the Parkinson’s Research Group or to the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke, Va