Martin John Griffin

Martin “Marty” J. Griffin, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He was 80 years old. Born on September 11, 1945, in Omaha, Nebraska, Marty lived a life defined by resilience, generosity, and an unshakable commitment to the people he loved.

Marty's early years were marked by hardship. He grew up in foster care navigating a childhood that was, by any measure, unfair. Rather than allowing those circumstances to define him, he made deliberate and lasting choices to break the cycle of alcoholism and abuse. Those who knew him marveled at the character that emerged from those early trials: a man who was optimistic, loyal, grateful, and genuinely good.

Marty married at 19 and two months later was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 20, serving two years at Fort Carson, Colorado. After completing his service, he returned to Omaha, where he worked full time for the phone company. He started by digging ditches and climbing telephone poles while raising a family and dedicating seven years to night school at the University of Nebraska Omaha. He and his wife Sharon welcomed their son Dan in 1969 and Damian in 1970. Through talent, hard work, and an innate gift for teaching, he rose to become a highly regarded course creator and instructor of telephone and networking systems, inspiring thousands of students over the course of his career.

In his early years, Marty channeled his engineering mind into an entrepreneurial venture: buying used 5-inch black-and-white televisions from hospitals, refurbishing them, and converting them to 12-volt power for use in cars, a concept well ahead of its time. Over roughly ten years, the family processed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 televisions through their home, selling them at HAM radio conventions and electronics shows across the country. Later, he left a 19-year career with AT&T to launch his own company Edutech, and later Cento Systems -- a leap of faith that surprised no one who truly knew him.

Licensed as a HAM radio operator at age 14, Marty was a lifelong amateur radio enthusiast with a passion for tracking: first tornadoes in the Nebraska skies, then hidden radio beacons, and ultimately high-altitude weather balloons. He was instrumental in the founding and growth of Edge of Space Sciences (EOSS), a non-profit organization that partners with schools and educators to provide hands-on STEM experiences to students across the country. EOSS volunteers help students who built experiments that are attached to weather balloons and flown into the upper atmosphere, then tracked and recovered with the help of EOSS volunteers. Over more than 400 flights, EOSS has maintained a perfect payload recovery record. Marty served as the organization's ambassador and often as the Alpha coordinator of all trackers. The program has inspired thousands of students over decades, and his fingerprints are on every one of those flights.

Marty was the kind of man who poured a neighbor's driveway, helped a stranger with car trouble in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and assisted new widows with their late husbands' radio equipment -- never thinking twice about any of it. He volunteered with the amateur radio community to provide emergency communications during severe weather events and stood watch through the night in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. When a neighbor's house was struck by lightning and caught fire, he calmly picked the lock for the arriving firefighters -- a skill nobody knew he had, nobody thought to question, and his kids thought was pretty damn awesome.

His friendships were among his greatest treasures: childhood friends, Army friends, HAM radio friends, work colleagues, neighbors. Marty was the sort of person who attracted people naturally and kept them for life. His charm, loyalty, and sense of humor made it easy. What he may have lacked in family stability growing up, he more than made up for in the community he built around himself.

Marty fell in love with and married the love of his life, Sharon in 1965. Together they shared over 60 years of marriage and developed a partnership built on devotion, humor, and the kind of steady love that sets an example for everyone watching. He was an enthusiastic and loving father that provided Dan and Damian with the supportive, idyllic childhood that had evaded him. He was a fun and patient grandfather, whose face visibly lit up whenever his grandsons Wyatt and Cash were nearby. He introduced them to the joy of taking things apart, taught them to solder, and showed them the movie Vacation far too early. He was, by every account, a terrific grandfather.

Marty will be remembered for his kindness, sense of humor, generosity and endless positivity. He will be deeply missed.

Marty is survived by his wife, Sharon Griffin; his son, Damian Griffin; his daughters-in-law Erika Gonzalez and Rachel Liberatore; and his grandsons, Wyatt Griffin and Cash Griffin.

He was preceded in death by his son, Dan Griffin (January 17, 1969 -- December 28, 2021), and his granddaughter, Paige Griffin (October 2009 -- November 2009).

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM.

Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary and Cemetery

6601 South Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Marty's memory to Edge of Space Sciences (EOSS). Contributions can be directed to Sharon Griffin and will be presented to EOSS in Marty’s name.

"You have worked so very hard throughout your life and accomplished much. You served your country and your family. You lived your life as a genuinely good person. You are a good friend, husband, father, and grandfather."

-- Damian