David Henry Martin

David Henry Martin passed into the arms of his Savior on April 19, 2025. He was born in Gainesville, Georgia and was the son of Herbert and Fay Martin. As a teenager, he worked in his dad's small aircraft repair shop at the Gainesville Airport and that began his life-long love of airplanes. The family moved to Marietta in the 50's and David graduated from Marietta High class of 1956. While attending Georgia Tech he began a co-op work program with Lockheed which led to a career of over 40 years as an Aeronautical Weight Engineer. David loved working at Lockheed, enjoyed the people he worked with who still kept in touch, and was so proud of the C-130 which was the focus of most of his work days. He was a member of the Society of Allied Weight Engineers. He served with the 445th Civil Engineering Squadron at Dobbins Air Force Base. He was a member of the Marietta First Baptist Church, the Men's Sunday School class, and a life deacon. As a member of the church's hospitality committee, he enjoyed being a greeter on Sunday morning with his warm and welcoming smile. For years he was part of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Feeding Unit based at First Baptist. This unit fed the clean up crews at the scene of a disaster and anyone in need of food. He made several trips to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina and served hundreds of people every summer. He was part of the church's Mission Marietta program that worked in the community with the young people of the church to repair homes, install new roofs, build handicap ramps, and make other repairs. He felt it was important to teach teenagers to give their time to help others and also to learn the skills necessary for home maintenance. David enjoyed working with his brother Phillip with his large antique tractor collection. As members of the West Georgia Two Cylinder club, they took the tractors to shows and drove them in parades. David was also a woodworker and made many beautiful pieces of furniture for their home and for family members. He enjoyed working in his yard and it is beautifully blooming this spring. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Nancy Riddle Martin, his sister Vivian Howard of Marietta, his sister Frances Carter (Phillip) of Dallas, Ga., and his brother Phillip (Peggy) of Villa Rica, and many nieces, nephews, and much-loved cousins. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Marietta. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM in the fellowship hall of the church. A private family graveside will take place after the service. The family would be honored if contributions were sent to the Grateful First Legacy at Marietta First Baptist Church, 148 Church Street, Marietta, GA 30060.