Richard Martin

April 13, 1941 — March 29, 2024

Urbana

Richard D. Martin of Urbana, Ohio died March 29, 2024, in his home. He was born April 13, 1941, in Champaign County, Ohio to Richard L. and Lula Roush Martin.

His love of writing began in high school when he worked at the Urbana Daily Citizen on weekends and in the summer. He was Salutatorian of the Urbana High School Class of 1959. The Stadium Scholarship Dormitory was his home at The Ohio State University, from which he graduated in 1963 with a degree in Economics. He continued to work at the Urbana Daily Citizen following his university years. He then became editor at the Springfield News and Sun, Sunday paper. Still writing, he joined International Harvester as a Vice President of Public Relations. Next came time at DP&L and Ponderosa. Richard worked at Bank One, Dayton as a Vice President, and retired from Chase Bank in Columbus as a Vice President, Eastern Region.

He served as President of the Dayton Opera and of the Children’s Hunger Alliance. Richard was a founding board member of “Inventing Flight”, the celebration of the Wright Brothers 100th Anniversary. He served as a Trustee of Think TV, Channel 16, and as a Trustee of the Victoria Theater in Dayton. He was also a board member of many charitable organizations.

Richard was an avid reader of newspapers and periodicals from the Economist to Gourmet, European and American History, English Literature, poetry, and detective novels. He enjoyed music ranging from classical to the Beatles. He enjoyed English soccer, loved good food, travel, old movies, old friends and looking for sharks’ teeth on Longboat Key.

Richard was a member and former vestryman of the Church of the Epiphany. In recent years he attended Christ Church Springfield for the early Sunday service. He was a member of the Urbana Country Club.
Survivors are his wife Joyce Edinger Martin whom he married in 1964; sister-in-law Julia Edinger Hidy and husband, Wayne Hidy; niece Jessica Melissa Mullins and Alan Delahunty; nephews Jason GE Jacobs and wife Edie Kay, and James W. Jacobs and wife Shannon; grand nephews and nieces, Nikki, Hilli, Case, Jinx, Linz, and Liz; cousins Rusty, Linda and Susie. A brother, Stephen R. Martin, is deceased.

In the end, his friends were found in the early morning visits to the YMCA and with the staff of the Champaign County Library which he visited daily.

A brief memorial service will be held at the Church of the Epiphany, Scioto Street, Urbana at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024. It is open to those who wish to attend. Father Derrick Fetz of Church of the Epiphany Urbana and the Reverend Doctor Michelle Boomgaard of Christ Church Springfield will officiate.

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Service Schedule

Past Services

Memorial Service

Saturday, April 13, 2024

11:00am - 12:00 pm (Eastern time)

Episcopal Church of the Epiphany

230 Scioto St., Urbana, OH 43078

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