Carl Weldon Martin Jr.

Carl Weldon Martin, Jr age 79 of Cypress, Texas passed on March 21, 2024 from natural causes in Houston, Texas. He was born in Lodi, Ohio on April 15, 1944 to the late Carl Weldon Martin Sr. and Esther Irene Martin.

Carl grew up in a loving home in North Canton, Ohio where he graduated from Hoover High School. He excelled in scholastic studies, even placing 3rd statewide in Geometry, but equally enjoyed and excelled at football and wrestling. Despite being offered a full ride academic scholarship for both Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and Michigan State, he decided to stay focused more toward academics by choosing Colgate University with an eye to his future graduate studies, which he further pursued at Ohio State.

With the Vietnam war looming at the forefront, Carl felt called to enlist and proudly served in the United States Army as an Artillery officer for 4 years. Upon returning, with his wife Mary and youngest child, Christine, he transitioned into finance. His career as a stockbroker and financial planner began with Merrill Lynch but was primarily with Dean Witter Reynolds and eventually Morgan Stanley in Dallas, Texas from which he retired in 2005 after 33 years.

Carl was a member of Park Cities Baptist and later Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. He happily taught 7th grade boys Sunday School for over 10 years and was later a Junior Deacon, although we teased him that he never really graduated from his 7th graders and he and everyone else agreed with this pronouncement.

After retirement he followed his daughter’s families to Cypress and moved his membership to The Met and then to Second Baptist in Cypress once it opened right around the corner. (Although he remained a loyal Cowboys and Mavericks fan regardless of his new address.)

He proudly started “The Old Guy’s Club” when he ran into many of the same men around Fairfield and decided they needed to meet and eat together at least once a week. He was an amazing networker, just enjoying people and doing his best to have relationships with impact on others’ lives (and possibly forcing them to as well). He enjoyed talking to anyone he met while out and about.

His recent years have seen him happily following the NBA, NFL, and women’s volleyball (if only his granddaughters - Elayne / Beka’s) games from his favorite reclining armchair. He always made a point to try to learn and pursue every facet of his children’s lives to be a part of their development and path in life.

In addition to his parents, Carl was preceded in death by his Uncle Ralph Martin, Nephew Randall S. Smith, and Cousin Margaret Hawkins.

Carl Weldon Martin Jr. is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Mary Josephine (Williamson) Martin, his sister Vivienne (Martin) and Reverend Clinton H. Smith, 3 Children: Christine (Martin) and Dwayne Grisbee, April (Martin) and R. Ian MacMoy, Christopher William and Panchali Mahendra Martin; Seven Grandchildren, Elayne Faith, Daniel Weldon and Benjamin Allen Grisbee, Maxwell Vaughn Pfefferkorn, Rebekah Joanne Pfefferkorn, Penelope Lane MacMoy and Charlotte Rivers MacMoy; Nephews and Nieces: Philip (and Stacy) Smith, Michael (and Suzanne) Smith, Helene (and Matthew) Hill, and Diana (and Craig) Welkener; cousins Betty Steiner, Ruthie Martin, Laura Polk, Amy Westmoreland, Jill Ryland, as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.