J. Martin Burks

J. Martin Burks, was born on April 5, 1936, in El Paso, Texas to Luther and Addie Lou Burks. He was the third of four children, joining Thelma Dean, L.J. and Connie. He went to meet his wife and soulmate Ruthie on December 22, 2023.

In 1938 the Burks family began their trek that ultimately led them to Austin, TX. Before he was six years old, J. Martin had lived in Texas, New Mexico, and Illinois. After settling in to their new house at Burnet Rd. and 45th Street, J. Martin and his brother L.J. met their lifelong friend O.T. Greer.

J. Martin attended Rosedale Elementary, Baker Junior High, and Austin High School. As a senior, he was a member of the first graduating class of the brand new McCallum High School.

It was during J. Martin’s high school years that he became a car guy. From drawing car designs to building hot rods, it was his first passion. The car he was most proud of was his 1950 Merc. that he had dropped a hemi into along with a lot of custom body work. J. Martin’s love for cars lasted his whole life, including his many years with the Austin Road Relics Car Club.

And then came Ruthie. J. Martin’s life was changed forever. They married in 1956 and bought their first house on Goodnight Lane, where their sons Dean and Ricky were born. After a move to Duke Ave. daughter Donna was born. This was Ruthie and J. Martins home for the next sixty years.

J. Martin (Lightning) began his career with the postal service during this time. He was a letter carrier for over forty years out of the North Austin Station. He was well respected at work and with all the patrons on his route. This is where He picked up his nickname Lightning, for how fast he delivered his route. J. Martin was set to receive his 65-year pin from NALC before his passing.

J. Martin’s second passion was coaching Little League baseball. Even after Dean and Ricky moved on to high school, he continued to coach at North Austin Optimist and Northwest Optimist for many years. If you were fortunate enough to have been on one of his teams the thing you remembered, it was fun. Everyone played, and many championships were won.

Once Donna entered high school, J. Martin became involved with the FFA program at Sidney Lanier High School, which then led him to volunteer with The Travis County Livestock Show and Rodeo Association.

All through his life, J. Martin kept up with his love for the game of golf. Wether it was his weekly games with Luther at Hancock or Morris Williams or his weekly games at Bluebonnet with all of his golfing buddies. He was especially proud of his son Ricky’s golf game and would brag on him whenever he could.

One thing a lot of people didn’t know about J. Martin was how talented he was as an artist. He worked in a lot of mediums, but by far his wood sculptures were the best.

After all the kids were gone, Ruthie and J. Martin devoted their time to their beloved farm. Many great memories were made there and it was truly their happy place. Ruthie and J. Martin were members of Redeemer Lutheran Church, where J. Martin served as Sunday school superintendent and also volunteered his time whenever it was needed.

J. Martin leaves behind his sister, Connie Speir, Son Dean and wife Sandy, son Ricky and wife Connie, and daughter Donna. He also leaves behind a multitude of grandkids and great grandkids, who loved him dearly as their Poppa. He also leaves behind brother-in-law John Miller and wife Sandra, Sister in law Lillie and husband Norbert Bleeke, and all of his nieces and nephews whom he loved very much.

A memorial service will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, at 1500 W. Anderson Ln, Austin, Texas 78757 on January 25th, 2024 at 11:00 AM. Live-streaming will be available through Live.redeemer.net