Bradley Kent Martin

BRADLEY KENT MARTIN, age 79, of Houston TX, passed away in his townhome of 40 years of natural causes on December 10, 2019. Brad was born in Litchfield, IL. on February 25, 1940 to his much beloved parents Fred L. and Margaret E. Martin who preceded him in death, along with two infant brothers, brother Jeffrey C. Martin (Margo), and outdoor cat ‘Kitley’ just 3 weeks prior. Bradley is survived by his two sisters, the ‘bookends’ of the family, Frances Sheffer and Beverly Mason (Michael) along with seven nieces and nephews: Scott and Stuart, Jessica, Ashley and Jay, Lindsay and Grant; cousins Veronica and Nancy, and Jim and Gary Martin.

Brad grew up in the ‘cornfields of Illinois’ as he liked to recall, graduating from Oregon HS in 1958, lettering in track and football. Among other pursuits, Brad was a BSA Explorer, Rock River ‘yacht club’ stunt skier, senior class officer, and co-editor of the HS newspaper.

After graduating from University of Illinois in 1963 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Brad headed east to work in the Ordinance Division of GE on the Polaris Missile project, responsible for operation and testing at Naval Shipyards in Virginia, Connecticut, and California, then moving to Honeywell as a lead engineer, including directing product testing for ordinance and missile projects at White Sands Missile Range.

Brad transferred to Minneapolis in the late 60s with Honeywell, then moved to Donaldson Co in the product development and systems science/research areas. Brad’s interests in snow skiing, singing, and the arts grew, including sailing his beloved c scow, the Mystic C, on Lake Harriet. Brad then moved to Tulsa with Donaldson Co., and continued his interest in music, singing with a local barber shop quartet.

Brad’s move to Houston came in the late 70s. In addition to his work with Encyclopedia Britannica and in the Recruitment fields, Brad further honed his lifelong devotion to the arts and the study of many areas of knowledge with particular interest in the fields of depth psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and the “highly sophisticated inner work of mind/body/spirit having been perfected over a lifetime.” While in Houston, Brad sang the chorus of the Houston Grand Opera, and co-chaired the Houston Festival. Brad taught classes at the Jung Center on subjects ranging from Peak Experiences, Science and Health to Der Rosenkavalier: Layers of Meaning and Experience in Music. Important friends in the arts in Houston included arts and architecture critic Ann Holmes and collage artist Dorothy Hood, along with so many others such as friends Sasha, Don, and Chuck, and much loved friends from other walks of life including Karen, Lewis, Madden, Broll, Nurmet, Lynn, Lydia, Pamela, and others too numerous to mention.

One of Brad's favorite sayings was inspired by the works of author E.M. Forster: "In a world of chaos and disorder the areas of true order and harmony are spirituality and aesthetics."

Among his final wishes, recalling the famous words of Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living," Brad requested that inscribed on his tombstone would read, "He lived an examined life."