Mr. Jeffrey Carl Martindell

Jeffrey Carl Martindell, 55, died peacefully in his sleep this past Saturday, July 9, 2011 at the home of his sister, Karen Buxton, in Greensboro, North Carolina, after a valiant 10-year battle with colon cancer.

Born to Milton and Barbara Martindell of Lambertville, New Jersey on January 28, 1956, he is survived by his son Jeffrey and two daughters, Carolyn and Sarah; both parents; sisters, Karen Buxton and Karla McGuigan; and brothers, Milton and Richard Martindell. Jeffrey graduated from New Jersey’s Ewing High School in 1974 and moved to Normandy Beach, New Jersey, where he began a life of activity and adventure, most remarkable because of his physical abilities. Barely out of high school, he built a forty-foot sloop, called the Lunasea, and sailed throughout the Carribean. Exquisitely talented at making things with wood, he taught himself how to make guitars and eventually developed his exceptional wood-working and artistic skills into a profession as a custom cabinet maker. His love of the sea was a major theme throughout his life, extending from sailing to fishing and surfing. Shortly after he married Jenny St. John in 1989, he moved his family to Ocracoke, North Carolina and began a commercial-and-charter fishing business in addition to his custom carpentry. Then in 1998 Jeff moved his family to his final residence in Buxton, North Carolina, where he built his own home and continued his businesses. Surfing was a constant passion for Jeff throughout his life, and he traveled to Indonesia, Hawaii, Australia and California to surf the biggest waves. He brought a resilient spirit of independence and joy to every moment of his life, and he leaves behind a legacy of passion and possibility.

The Buxton-Martindell families extend their sincere thanks to the nurses of Amedisys Hospice Services and ask that memorials be made to: Amedisys Hospice Services, 1111 Huffman Mill Road, Burlington, NC 27215.