Billy Dale Martin was born in Vinita, Oklahoma in August 1935, the third of four children of Clarence F. and Mae Martin. A Korean War Veteran, Billy enlisted in the United States Navy in 1954, a year after graduating from Vinita High School. After being honorably discharged in 1962, he earned a Bachelor of Science in teaching from Northeastern State College (Tahlequah, OK) and ultimately moved across the country to Maryland – where teacher pay was better -- to work for Baltimore County Public Schools.
There he met Florence A. Binkley who he married in March 1970. He taught Driver Education at Eastern Vocational Technical High School for several years before moving to Hereford High School to teach Life Sciences, earning a Master’s Degree along the way. At various times he also supplemented his teaching salary by painting houses, selling Tupperware, and working for Home Paramount Pest Control. Though he retired from full-time “day” teaching after 22 years, he continued to teach Driver Education for Baltimore County and Oldfields School, then worked for the private driving schools Nice & Easy and Premier Driving Schools before finally retiring “for real” in his 70s.
In retirement, “Mr. Bill” became something of a fixture in his Pleasant Hills/Kingsville neighborhood due to his daily walks and penchant for talking to anyone and everyone he met during his strolls. Mr. Martin was a life-long fan of sports (especially baseball, football, and horse-racing), coin collecting, military history, nature, pets (especially dogs), and reading. He was a member of American Legion Post 138 (Parkville); a founding member of Grandview Christian Church in Fallston, Maryland; an avid patron of the public libraries; and a supporter of numerous charities, particularly those related to medical research.
Mr. Martin was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Florence, and his brothers Charles and Stan. He is survived by his daughters Michele Lynn Martin and Deirdre Dale Martin, his sister Sue Humphries, his sister-in-law Sena Martin, and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that those wishing to honor Billy’s memory donate to a (non-political) charity of their choosing.
A Visitation for Billy will be held Monday, July 15, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at MMP, Inc., 7250 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD 21075, where a Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 AM. Interment Meadowridge Memorial Park.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.3