Lawrence Aubrey Martin, Jr.

Lawrence Aubrey Martin, Jr. died peacefully on October 20, 2022, leaving a lasting legacy of generosity, hard work, loyalty, quick wit, and a big sense of humor. He loved life! His cheerfulness and big heart were his hallmark, plus that big, magnificent laugh.

Larry was born April 19, 1931, to Eva Pirtle and Lawrence Aubrey Martin. He had two older sisters, Emma Fyrne Martin Robb and Sarah Martin Hayter. Larry’s mother died when he was young, she was very encouraging and led him in great expectations for the future. He adored his mother and her absence from his life after 11 years-of-age was a deep wound that never fully healed.

Larry was raised in Sedalia, Missouri and graduated from Smith Cotton High School. After graduating, he moved to Kansas City and lived with his father where he went to work for Swift and Company while attending night school.

Larry was a good student and extremely likable. It seemed as though when his mother passed, he made up his mind that he was never going to be sad again and so consequently he made everybody around him feel good about who they were. He was always happy—laughing and joking.

After working three years, he enlisted in the Air Force at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. He met Dolores Watson while living in Kansas City and they were married in 1953 before he was deployed to Japan on an 18-month assignment.

After returning to the states, he was once again stationed in San Antonio at Lackland AFB. When he finished serving his time, he enrolled and graduated from St. Mary’s University. Following his graduation, he went to work for the National Bank of Commerce. In 1959, John Kimberly was born, and in 1961 Susannah Bronwen was born.

He and Dolores lived in San Antonio the remainder of their lives. They were faithful and longtime members at Trinity Baptist Church when Buckner Fanning was a new Pastor.

After graduating from St. Mary’s University, Larry started a long and distinguished career at the National Bank of Commerce. He started in the Trust Department where he helped numerous people for well over a decade before moving into the Bond Department. Larry got to know all his clients on a personal level and was a very popular and well-known figure in the banking industry for almost 30 years.

In 1987, Larry transitioned to the retail side of the business as a Financial Advisor at Rotan Mosle. He then worked for Morgan Stanley until his retirement. All of his banking and small business clients followed him to this new position, and he continued to supply them with his reputable expertise with a personal touch.

After several changes in the broker-dealer arena, Larry retired at age 80. His financial acumen and his warm, caring personality helped an untold number of businesses and individuals reach their financial goals, and many of them remained friends for the remainder of his life.

Larry had a busy, beautiful life after retirement. The things that made him happiest were his family. When grandchildren arrived, his attentiveness in their lives was his biggest joy and a daily visit or two was routine; that is when he and Dolores transitioned into “Papa and Grandma.”

Between having grandchildren and spending time with their friends traveling and going on cruises, Papa was very alive! He and Dolores traveled to faraway cooking destinations, each planned for over a year by one of the best cooks in San Antonio and one of their favorite friends. The same group of about 12 or so traveled and cooked in probably a dozen perfectly-picked cities. Details were perfection; the memories they had of these trips are well-documented in many photo albums.

One of Larry’s biggest achievements was being a founder of Club Giraud, located in the old Ursuline Academy in downtown San Antonio. He became very active at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where he was closely involved in their Music program and the choir master, the Vestry, and several search committees plus a large group of friends with whom he and Dolores became lifelong friends.

Larry was equally involved in St. Luke’s Episcopal School, where Annie, Sallie and Samuel attended. He was the Church-School liaison for two years and enjoyed knowing the mechanics and goings-on in the school he loved so dearly.

Another love of Larry’s was making sure their yard looked beautiful with color and pristinely kept. Jesus to this day continues to maintain the yard just as Larry would have loved. We often thought Jesus should be adopted and named Jesus Martin. Together Larry and Dolores spent countless hours sitting outside on that beautiful porch where, friends, neighbors, family, and anyone who walked by were always welcomed, with a glass of wine, champagne offered. You can bet there were dogs present, barking at the walkers-by, the mailman, basking in the sun, you name it; if you hung out on that patio, there was a lively atmosphere, good conversation and happy dogs. The front porch became their favorite place to fill the days as they became older. You would most likely see one or both sitting in their rocking chairs if you drove by.

Larry was generous, supportive, friendly, happy and his world was filled with those he loved. He lived every moment of life with vigor until he became forgetful and homebound. Rose Rouse, Lisa Marie Curtis, Betsy Medina and Mary Ann Robles, his caretakers after Dolores died, became his best friends. These four valiant ladies were kind and faithful to his needs. They prayed with him, cooked for him, listened to the same jokes and stories over and over. They made his life fun and full of laughter until his last day. These ladies were the backbone of the house for five years and they will never be forgotten for their determination to keep him happy with their faithfulness to his needs. God blessed the Martin’s with Rose especially, and my dad is probably still yelling “Rose! Rose! I’m hungry!” The Martin family is also grateful to the care of Encompass Hospice they provided to Larry.

Larry is survived by his son, John Kimberly Martin; daughter Susannah Martin McAllister and husband, Steve; grandchildren, Susannah “Annie” McAllister Dwarica and husband Patrick, Sallie McAllister Christie and husband John, Samuel Williams McAllister II and wife Kelly of Denver, Colorado and last but not least, Kimberly Aubrey Martin. He is also survived by great-grandchildren, Aubrey Mae Rutledge, John Raymond Christie II (J.R.), Annie Wells Christie, Stephen Frost McAllister and Emma Dolores Dwarica; sister-in-law Monty Watson Sheridan of Leawood KS; and many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly. He is preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Dolores Watson Martin.

A celebration of Larry’s life will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 11 St. Luke’s Way, San Antonio TX at 1:30pm on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 11 St. Luke’s Lane, San Antonio TX 78209, or St. Luke’s Episcopal School, 15 St. Luke’s Lane, San Antonio, Texas 78209.