John Douglas Martin passed away peacefully on May 5, 2021, surrounded by his family. He was born in Canton, Ohio in April of 1939 and lived in Lancaster, Ohio most of his life, where he served as County Prosecutor, Municipal Court Judge, and Common Pleas Court judge over his more than 40 year legal career. John was the fifth generation of the Martin family to practice Law in Lancaster. After his retirement, he served as a visiting judge in Franklin County and other courts around the state. He is a graduate of George Washington University and the Ohio State University College of Law. John served three years in the US Army, graduating from the Army Language School and serving as a Japanese Language Interpreter in Japan. He was always interested in other cultures, nurturing international friendships and traveling the world for learning and leisure. He always remained a reader and lover of learning. He also was a Kiwanian, coached countless soccer teams after helping to start a local recreational league, and taught classes at Ohio University-Lancaster. He was an active member of the First Congregational Church in Columbus. John’s greatest joy was with his family. He never missed an opportunity to support their activities and cheer them on. He was always working to improve the world around him, doing everything from gardening to community volunteering, most recently helping his granddaughter and the Kiwanis to install a rain garden in an Upper Arlington park and and volunteering at the UA public library.
John is survived by his wife, Kaye Martin and two children, Doug and Katie and their spouses, Sarah Martin and David Renner, and five grandchildren - Ethan, Sarah, Zachary, Jacob, Paul. Also missing him is his faithful dog, Buddy.
Family will receive friends at Halteman Fett & Dyer Funeral Home at 436 N Broad St, Lancaster, OH 43130 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. Private ceremonies will be held later due to continuing Covid restrictions.
In lieu of flowers, family requests that donations be given to a cause of their choice at First Congregational Church in John’s memory (https://www.first-church.org/give.aspx
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