I was looking through some project materials and started thinking about my time with Brian on the 52/67 and decided to look him up and give him a call. I was struck hard when this popped up. This really hits my heart. The time I spent with Brian I will never forget. He was firm but very fair and always operated with the upmost honesty. We had many laughs together and shared in some defeats but he was always there to participate and lend a hand.  The crew liked to work for him and we even made him a fire ring for his home as a thanks for his hard work and he would bring in some great food to share with us for lunch. I wont miss Santee but I will forever remember Brian.
I'm so very sorry for your loss it was way too soon. 

I so admired cousin Brian’s childhood “relationship” with Uncle Charlie Withers.  I can’t remember any other kid who got the better of Uncle Charlie (to me known as Dad).  It is not that Dad hadn’t come across this situation before, it is that Brian was the only one who ever “won”.  I still smile when I remember Brian absolutely, positively, uncompromisingly refusing to open his mouth.  Someone finally got the better of Dad.  

I hadn’t seen Brian for a while, but always keep up with him, Cynthia, Mike, Mark and Keith, the in-laws and grandkids through Judy.  I miss him. Love and hugs to all.  Cousin Carol


Dear Brian, I already wrote a note to you, but it somehow disappeared as you did into the  air.  I hope it comes back up.  I still can hardly believe you are gone. You were so important to all of us, but your momma and family........  We can never forget you and I can never let you go.  Each day I spend multiple times looking out my bedroom window for your jeep and your dogs and your happy face.  We shared so much always, and I will treasure it all forever.  I hope I can find what I wrote, so i can put it here for you.  You go with all my love and heart.
I hope you and dad are fishing in the Sierras where MyDung. Daniel and Grace scattered your ashes.  May you be at peace with Dad and Kaitlyn.  All my love forever, mom

Uncle Martin was such a brilliant and hardworking man. A loving friend, co-worker, father, and husband. His sudden passing has affected me so deeply, and I don’t think we will ever be able to forget the incredible legacy that he has built in his time on Earth. Uncle Brian was taken from us too soon. He still had so much to offer, so much more love and light to radiate. 

I think the best way to describe Uncle Brian is a ray of light. And sadly, when he passed, the world lost some of that light. I pray that he is resting peacefully in the clouds. He has fought so hard for his life and never once complained of the difficult obstacles life had thrown his way. But at least now he is resting easy after all 57 years of hard-work. You deserve nothing but peace and love. 

I’m so devastated that he is no longer with us. His wise guidance, his compassionate heart, his contagious smile. He was so inspirational. Uncle Brian left a mark on so many lives, and he will continue to live in my heart as long as I live. I will carry his spirit in my heart, and I will carry on his name and legacy. Walking forward, I will work hard as he did, I will love compassionately as he did, and I will uplift others around me as he did. 

Rest peacefully in Heaven ~
Your niece, Lily Van 

Bottom photo. See that gate? That gate is what divides my house with the Martin’s house. It has existed since before I was born and never had a lock on it. My parents bought this house three years before I was born, Judy was my mom’s friend, And Buster was my dad’s friend. They also both worked at SDG&E, buster as a lineman and pops as a master machinist. Judy is the last remaining one. 
Brian was Judy and Buster’s youngest son. From an early age, Brian taught me about cars, mechanics and girls. I looked up to him more than he probably ever knew. It was the way he treated me. He was just very “real”. 
Now these many years later, and I have moved back home after my parents left (Mom 2015, Pops 2017), Brian picked up right where he left off. He helped me through a huge ordeal I had with the county and helped me have the strength to make some tough decisions on my pop’s work shop. Then, just a few weeks ago, when I tried working with electrical, I electrocuted myself. I texted him, asking for advice, and he dropped what he was doing grabbed his son Daniel, and came over and we fixed it all together. Brian and I laughed about my gaffe over a couple beers. 
That was the last time I saw this man. I’m still hurting a ton and just don’t understand. Maybe someday I will, but not today. 
I vow to continue to be the best neighbor and friend I can to his mom Judy. Amy Helt and I bring her eggs from our chickens often and she always sends us away with veggies from her garden. 
Your mom is in good hands, Brian. I wish I had known to tell you thank you, and I love you man. 
-Joey Nelson 

My sincerest condolences and appreciation to Brian’s family for sharing him with us.  A great great friend. From the first day I reported to work I was told he can be “hard to work for”.  But really what has been hard since then is working for anyone else.  He was a big part of my life and continued to call periodically even though it’s been over ten year since our time working together.  Great memories of work but it never felt like work with him.  I’ll never forget the fun of setting grades for the hinge spans and then the anticipation of how they’d ride after stressing and the closure pour.  There’s the profilograph and then there’s Brian way. I’d jump in the passenger seat of his CT Jeep and he’d find enough deck to punch it, dodging the contractors material piles and equipment so he could get up to design speed and be the first to drive the hinge and critique the smoothness.  Still to this day I don’t think you will find smoother riding bridges than the ones where Brian was Structure Rep.

 So many stories from our time together.  And only about half had anything to do with work.  He was like a brother.  He trusted me with his son to take him fishing. And I am grateful to always have that memory of Daniel landing a big spot fin  in the surf.  We worked hard on high stress projects but when we left for lunch it was as friends and rarely talked about anything bridge related.  We talked about the challenges of life, of course always mixing in some glory days, and a lot about his focus in life of being a dad and husband. These are the things that make it hard to work for anyone else since. Brian you’ll be missed.  I’ve always had in the back of my mine a retirement plan of one last job together once our kids are all grown. Maybe some place up in the Sierras or something.

Little brother, we are devastated with our loss. I wish we could have better expressed our love for you. I treasured our time when i was in town. Jeeping was fun. I became a better welder with your guidance. My family has an empty space that can’t  be filled. I was looking forward to retirement and spending more time with you. Then there was 5, now there are 4 brothers and sister. We will endure. Life i precious and hug your kids. ❤️ Mark

The world has lost a Great Man!

I had the honor of working with Brian on the Laurel St. Bridge Restoration Project and I-5 San Elijo Bridge Replacement Project  over the last several years.  Soon after we started working together, I discovered we were actually neighbors out in east county and shared many common interests from riding motorcycles and off-roading in the desert to camping and exploring in the mountains. 

He was one of the most knowledgeable, sincere, and caring individuals I have ever met.  His dedication to his work and family was paralleled by his love of life and nature.  He truly worked hard and played hard.  Weather it was working all day and night to make sure a bridge concrete pour went right or driving to the desert in his jeep, off-roading all night then driving home the next day, he always lived life to the fullest no mater what he was doing.

Brian's positive attitude and willingness to help anyone in need was infectious to others and I can honestly say that I am a better person for knowing him.  I wish I could have expressed that to him before his passing.  

Rest in peace Brian,  we will miss you.

It seems like it was only yesterday that you took me around your job-site at San Elijo Lagoon project.  You shared so many anecdotes during that visit that the time went by very quickly.  You made so many tough decisions on this project that seemed to make the engineering look easy! It was my privilege to know you and work with you.  RIP.

I feel privileged for the opportunity to have worked with Brian.  I began working with Brian on the NCC project three years.  I’ve worked with many great Engineers in my career, and Brian was no exception.  What made Brian stand apart from others was his ability to understand and relate to people.  He had a knack to bring out the best in others. 
 
Brian, 
Your dedication to your family and your craft amazes me.  You will be missed, however your legacy will continue to carry on through the lives you have touched and the bridges you have left behind.  I have become a better engineer to have known you, but most importantly you have made me a better person.  

Rest assured we will make sure the “bump bars” are in.  Rest easy. 


My sincere condolences to the family and my thoughts and prayers will be with you.
I never worked for Brian, but whenever I saw him, I would cracked a joke to Brian and he would responded with a joke in a way that we had a great laugh together.  Brian you will be missed.
May the blessing of God be with you!

Anh

I have been thinking about Brian a lot. His passing was so untimely and frankly very unfair. However, this is not what I want to remember or to celebrate with regards to Brian. What I do want to remember and to celebrate is Brian himself. 
They say we should not measure a person by their weaknesses because we all have them.  We should measure them and celebrate them by their strengths.  Brian had lots of strengths. 
I had the opportunity to work with Brian on engineering projects at Caltrans. Brian did all he could to help resolve issues or problems and he went out of his way to get results quickly.  He was a very smart bridge engineer. He received several awards for the projects he was involved in.
He was not just good at his work. I also remember him as an incredibly kind and positive person. I never heard him say a negative thing about his co-workers or about Caltrans. He was also generous with his knowledge and shared it with all his co-workers.
I also want to pay my respects to Brian’s family, offer my condolences for their terrible loss and let them know that I was proud of Brian professionally and personally. In my book, Brian was one of the good guys. I will always remember that!
Lou Melendez


Brian was an accomplished bridge engineer, role model and mentor. He always impressed me with his directness,  his common-sense approach to engineering issues, his work ethic, and his many accomplishments. Thank you for being who you were and for inspiring us as we strive to be our best selves. We miss you already, Brian.


Brian,  I herd the news that you had passed, it broke my heart. You were to good of a human being to be taken so soon. I will always remember our working together on the 52/67 project when we climbed the structure stairs to the highest peak of the interchange so I could take some awsome pictures.  Thank you for the wonderful memories working with you. You have walked the most beautiful bridge Brian  to the kingdom of Heaven. I will miss you

I met Brian in 1999 on state route 125/94 interchange in Spring Valley.  During this time we were both new to State service working for Structures Construction.  I quickly learned that he would be a valuable resource and an example to follow.  
Our careers would run in parallel to my benefit, he was always there to bounce ideas and provide insight.  
As I got to know a little bit of his personal life he  once again earned my respect with all of his Father stories.   The world needs more people like him.  
The gap that he left, will not be filled.  
 
My sincere condolences to the Martin family.  May the memories of him help all during this hard time  and we will never forget him.  

For me he will always be a positive figure from my career here at Caltrans and I will miss you  Brian.  I will not forget you friend.

Sincerely 
Hector Magaña

Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss.   I hope God will bless you with peace and comfort.  And you will be in my prayers.

I first met Brian at the Laurel Street Project in 2013 (I was working for Disney Construction).   He was firm and tough.  Brian was extremely knowledgeable and demanded quality and excellence; but he was also honest, fair, and reasonable.   As the project progressed, and we spent more time together talking and joking about everything else besides work, I realized that behind the professional facade, Brian is just a big soft teddy bear!  He loved and cared a lot about people, especially his family.  He had a soft heart.  Even during those difficult moments when he had to be strict, deep inside he truly wanted the best for his family and friends.  

This world has lost a great man.   I feel privileged and honored to have the opportunity to know Brian.  I know Brian's memory will live on in his family and friends.    

It broke my heart to lose you Brian, but you did not go alone, part of me went with you.
Thank you for sharing a little bit of your life with me, since you were always is high demand.
You are my role model, and I will continue to imitate your kindness and your humanity. 
I will not say goodbye, because I associate "goodbye" with going away and forgetting...I say I will miss you; until we meet again.


As his uncle, I remember Bryan mostly as a young man.   We did not live in the area so I saw him infrequently for quite a few years.   During his early years he was a resourceful, caring family man.  My later encounters showed that he remained the same great person. I was privileged to know him.  He will be greatly missed and mourned by myself and everyone that knew him.

May he rest in piece.

Chuck 

I never worked directly with Brian for any length of time, but I would see him several times a week as we parked to begin or end our work days. We had many great conversations about  work, life, family and pretty much everything in between. Brian was a truly good person and I will miss those conversations and laughs we shared. My sincere condolences to the family and my thoughts and prayers will be with you.

My sincerest condolences to the family. I had the pleasure of being Brian's immediate supervisor and friend when he first started with Caltrans on the 94/125 IC, he was one of the best. He was always cheerful, and approached everything with a smile. While I may have been training him, I also learned from him.  I have, and will always, consider Brian a good friend. 
You will be missed,  RIP.



Brian was a good man. He was kind, cheerful, responsive and respectful.
I was at the Carmel Office when he was promoted to a Senior Bridge Engineer. Good memories.
RIP Brian. 

Brian was my supervisor at Caltrans. He  supported  me when I lost my Brother and Mom recently.  Brian was a great friend and supervisor. He was caring and compassionate. I loved him like a brother. I will miss you Brian.  God bless you and your family. Rest In Peace.

OBITUARY

Brian Andrew Martin

November 29, 1961 – August 2, 2019

El Cajon Mortuary and Cremation Service

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