Donald Hugh Martin

Don was born June 7, 1933, in Slater, Missouri, to Frank and Muriel Martin and later became the oldest of 6 children. He was educated in Monticello Public Schools where he met his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Hollar. They married on September 6, 1953, at First Presbyterian Church in Monticello, Iowa. After high school Don attended Upper Iowa University and Iowa State University, earning a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science and a Doctorate. During this time, he served in the U.S. Army for two years at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma, and received an honorable discharge.

Don had a remarkable career in construction and industrial education. In the early years, he taught high school math and industrial education in Iowa. Over the course of his career, he was a construction engineer at Cuckler Steel, a partner in a local architectural firm, a professor in Construction Engineering at Iowa State University, and a professor in Construction Management at Colorado State University. He received many professional honors, including national recognition as the President of the Associated Schools of Construction, associate of the year of the Northern Colorado Homebuilders, Sigma Lambda Chi, Epsilon Sigma Phi and Phi Delta Kappa International. He was a beloved educator who made an indelible mark on a generation of construction students. Don designed and built the last four homes that the family lived in, including two in Iowa and two in Fort Collins. He was impeccable in his design and execution of all projects.

Don enjoyed traveling around the United States, eventually visiting most states, and was able to enjoy some international travel. He was active in the Presbyterian Church, USA, serving as an elder and singing in the choir. Over the years, Don served as the church contractor representative for several building projects at First Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins, using his skills to give back to the community. He loved his cars but never bought a new one. He especially loved his 1965 Mustang.

Music, particularly gospel music, brought Don great joy his entire life. He was an accomplished vocalist and skilled cornet and trumpet player. A special honor was playing a trumpet solo on Soldier Field in Chicago when he was in high school. He shared his powerful bass voice in several choirs, and with his family.

He will be remembered by friends and family as kind, gentle, hard-working, and quick-witted man. He was always a proud supporter and loving father to his three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, enjoying them and all of their activities.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Dorothy, his children, Deb Davis, Dan Martin and Dee Dern (Bill), as well as 10 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.

A private interment with military honors will be held at Resthaven Memory Garden. A celebration of life for family and friends will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Mackenzie Place, 4750 Pleasant Oak Drive, Fort Collins.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Kayla Foundation that provides music opportunities for students in Poudre School District and northern Colorado via the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, 4745 Wheaton Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525 or the Wounded Warrior Project, 1 South Nevada Avenue, Suite 205, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903.

The family would like to thank the people who carefully and kindly cared for him over these last several years. From home care to hospice care, he was blessed to have people who respected him and kept his dignity intact. As a family, we are deeply grateful to each of you.