J. Clark Martin

He is survived by his loving wife, Kay; his daughter, Paige; and his extended family of cousins, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Stephanie; his parents, Catherine and Skipper Martin; his brothers, Russell and Johnny; and his in-laws.

He was born in Washington, D.C., and spent much of his childhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he formed lifelong friendships and later attended Louisiana State University. He remained close with that group throughout his life and was still in regular contact with his best friend, Wally, until the day before he passed. It was also in Baton Rouge that he met the love of his life, Kay, on a blind date. They were married just a few months later when he joined the U.S. Army. Together they moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he eventually served in the JAG Corps. During that time, they formed a close circle of friends and created many lasting memories. In 1970, with the help of his friend Louie, he moved to Houston to join Vinson & Elkins, where he worked for over 30 years.

He and Kay made Houston their home, where they built a life together filled with love, family, and friendship. This October, they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage.

He spent most of his career practicing law, many years at Vinson & Elkins before finishing at Kelly Hart & Hallman, collecting friends, stories, and jokes along the way. After retiring, he provided volunteer legal advice at SCORE, always enjoying keeping his brain active and helping others.

Clark was curious and creative. He loved music and always had it playing, with Willie Nelson as the main soundtrack for his life. He loved playing the guitar and was known for hosting lively sing-alongs, often with a basket of instruments and songbooks so everyone could join in. He even dabbled in oil and watercolor painting. He loved jokes—both telling them and collecting them—and kept a joke book he had been building since childhood. He had a lifelong fascination with technology—encouraging (and sometimes insisting) that fellow attorneys embrace computers, teaching himself to program, and most recently exploring and challenging AI on intellectual property matters.

He also had a deep love of travel and took his family on many adventures around the world. When his daughters lived in California, he and Kay were frequent visitors, always eager to spend time together and create lasting memories. His daughters’ friends quickly became his own, a reflection of his warmth and openness. In San Francisco, he and Stephanie made it a point to explore all the amazing restaurants together, sharing memorable meals, with dinners and wine as his love language, and lively conversations with a wide circle of friends.

His highest priority was always his family. Even in his final days, he was focused on others, constantly asking about Kay and how she was doing. He valued his relationships deeply and placed them above all else. He went above and beyond to support his family in every way possible, offering steady care, guidance, and love that will continue to shape our lives.

He will be remembered for his deep love for his family, his loyalty, his quiet generosity, and his steady, thoughtful way of showing up for the people in his life. He leaves behind a legacy of service,

warmth, and love that will not be forgotten.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to his devoted care team—Susan, Sandra, Vonda, Gail, Xandra, Azure, Amanda, and Winnie—as well as Dr. Jim Muntz and the many doctors and nurses at Methodist Hospital for their compassion and care. We are also grateful to all our friends—too many to mention here—but can’t imagine our life without you.

A memorial service to celebrate his life is to be conducted at one o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 1st of May, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent grand foyer.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in his memory may be directed to the Stephanie Martin Endowed Fund for Breast Cancer at UCSF at the following link https://givingtogether.ucsf.edu/fundraiser/3879325 or by selecting the link under ‘Donations’ in the ‘Show your Support’ section below, or to a charity of your choice.

We feel so lucky and grateful to have had Clark—Dad—in our lives, and we know we won the husband and father lottery.

We invite you to share memories and words of comfort and condolence with the family by selecting the ‘Add a Memory’ icon under the ‘Show your Support’ section below.