Frederick King Martin

Fred was born on November 6, 1933. He served in the United States Navy before beginning a career as a corrugated box salesman - maybe boring sounding to many of us, but he loved the skills it took; he used his analytical mind to improve packaging and processes and loved solving problems for the company and for his clients.

He died on May 10, 2026, at the age of 92 — a full life by any measure.

Fred had an engineer’s mind and an adventurer’s spirit, and he spent a lifetime putting both to work. He was the kind of man who didn’t just want to understand how something worked — he wanted to fix it, improve it, or take it somewhere no one had taken it before.

But for all his skills and intelligence, what people remember most about Fred was how genuinely he loved being around people. I am sure many of us have stories of his parties…my favorites were the beach parties - everyone camping out at our home, a pig roasting, campfires and wagon rides. In later life, he was all about the kids, the grandkids and the greatgrand kids…we were all lucky to have him attend games, theme parks, family cruises and gatherings of all sorts. The amount of pride he had in his family always made us feel loved.

He approached life with gusto - filled with curiosity, humor, and enthusiasm - all he needed was a rum and coke, a sunset, a good story, and people he loved nearby.He was a man who drove a donkey trail at 13,185 feet just to see what was on the other side. A man who could repair a V8 engine, navigate the Gulf of Mexico, and make people feel immediately welcome wherever he was. A man who hitchhiked from Norfolk, Virginia to Chicago just to spend a few days with the woman he loved — and who spent the next 71 years proving he had been right to make that trip.

We all know the story of that fated April Fool’s Day. A square dance at the Moose Lodge may not sound like the start of a 71-year love story. But that is exactly what it was.

Fortunately, he passed her family’s test — a camping trip he didn’t know was a test. Judy had concerns about his wardrobe choices and the fact that he mostly talked about cars, but she saw past all of that to the man she would marry.

For the last eleven years of Judy’s life, she lived with Alzheimer’s disease. Fred stayed by her side through all of it. To the very end, they shared nightly walks holding hands, sunsets, cocktails, and favorite television shows. Many evenings, Judy would reach over, take Fred’s hand, and tell him how much she loved him.

Fred and Judy visited all 50 states, 5 continents, and 63 countries. They traveled to places most people never think to go — Greenland, Singapore, Ishtanbul, but some of the best stories were closer to home.

There was the time the family drove Mosquito Pass — one of the highest pass in the United States, at 13,185 feet — only to discover that the road was, in truth, a donkey trail. It was too narrow to turn around. There were large rocks and steep descents, and the car had no power at that altitude, so the family got out and pushed. When they finally made it back, Fred looked under the car and found large dents in the gas tank from the rocks. Years later, he wrote about it with characteristic understatement: “Looking back, I realize how we could have been stranded in the pass.”

Or the folding kayak trip through the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada with us kids along for the crossing - miles from any US or Canadian roads. That same kayak took him 43 miles down the White River over 84 rapids. And of course, there were sailboats - sailing trips with the family, storms in the Gulf, races to Key West, and a 2,500-mile sailboat journey from Missouri to Florida.Travel, boats and cars were the staples of Fred’s life and I can’t even begin to write about the cars…we ALL know about his cars and there is not possibly enough space to capture his passion for them.

Fred was happiest when life felt like an adventure.

Fred is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 67 years, Judy Martin, his parents Edward and Gladys Martin, step mother Bonnie, sisters Peggy and Judy and by his in-laws Elmer and Gertrude Moore and brother-in-law Gary.

He is survived by his children David and his wife Chris; Jill and her husband Denny; Jane and her husband Elvin; and Freddy as well as his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the wide circle of people whose lives he shaped.

He leaves behind a family shaped by his curiosity, boldness, humor, resilience, and a willingness to fully engage with life. Fred believed life was meant to be lived actively - not cautiously from the sidelines. He took risks, chased adventure, trusted his instincts, and somehow made the people around him feel both safe and inspired at the same time.