Joe E. Martin (1933 - 2014)

Joe E. Martin, 80, passed away Monday, April 21, 2014. Graveside service: 10 a.m. Thursday in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Mr. Martin was born Dec. 9, 1933, in Moody. He grew up in the Waco area and moved to Fort Worth in the late 1940s. He married Edith McMillen on April 19, 1957, and they had four children.

Mr. Martin coached Little League baseball at Eastside Little League field for 13 years. In 1967, he coached the All Star team that won the Texas Little League championship title and advanced on to Florida for the preliminaries of the Little League World Series. He also coached boys' basketball at Panthers Boys Club and football for the Poly Hornets during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr. Martin retired from Williamson & Dickie in 1999 after 39 years of employment. He was an avid gardener, fisherman and handyman.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Sharon Martin; son, Lonny Joe Martin; his parents; and four siblings. Survivors: Wife, Edith Martin; daughters, Cathy Welborn (Michael) and Karen Gilmore; grandchildren, Lisa Priddy (Jason), Rebecca Floyd (Nicholas) and A.J. Gilmore and fiancee, Courtney; great-grandchildren, Isbell, Maggie, James, Caden, Jonah, Levi, Dylan, Ruth and Alex; former sons-in-law, Randy Isbell and Rich Gilmore; sisters, Ada Lou Ross (Bill) and Dorothy Melton (Robert); brother, Billy Martin; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Published in Star-Telegram from Apr. 23 to Apr. 24, 2014