I have so many memories of Uncle Jim that it is hard to focus on just one or a couple.  One of my special memories is when Susan was born on December 20, 1079. Joe took Joey and Tommy up to celebrate Christmas in Baltimore at Mom and Dad's. I stayed home with Susan. Before long Uncle Jim was at my door. He didn't want me to celebrate Christmas alone.
It was important to him to make sure he never missed any of our birthdays. For many years it was giving a gift of going out to a nice dinner or a gift certificate for a nice restaurant. He asked me to make up a list of the dates of everyone's birthday so he wouldn't forget.
A quirky memory is working during a summer or two with Uncle Jim at Ray Whittington's Insurance Adjusters . Jim would go to the North Avenue Market and get sandwiches for everyone. I always had a balogna sandwich on a kiser roll, potato chips and a coke. So every now and then I have a craving for that lunch and it reminds me of those summers working with Jim!
Uncle Jim has been such a good example of how to live a good life.
He was kind, giving, caring, protective and nonjudgemental. Do for people now so you don't look back one day and say "if only".
He had a sense of humor, loved to learn, was smart, physically and mentally strong.  And family was most important!!
I loved him and will miss him.

I have known Uncle Jim longer than anyone else from the Martin family. The Martins are a family of former State Farm employees. That is where I met Uncle Jim. I knew him about 20 years before marrying “the other Jim Martin”. 
He was always a kind gentleman. One of my favorite memories from working with him at State Farm was hearing about an employee’s boyfriend coming into the office and started to hit his girlfriend/employee. Who was the one who came to her defense??  Of course it was uncle Jim. Did I mention he was in his 70s?  
In addition to the kindness, Uncle Jim and his twin, George, always loved to play jokes on people. There was a time when dad (George Martin) was also working with State Farm. I had never met him—nor did I know he existed. Of course I was beside myself and asked what had happened to his arm. They LOVED pulling that joke on people. 
You will be truly missed. May you Rest In Peace. 

Jimmy Pop-Pop was a giver. A selfless, soft-spoken person who was always there when you needed him. As a kid, he would always slip me a twenty-dollar bill and say, "that's for being an only girl." I saved those twenty-dollar bills up and bought my first riding saddle, something I probably wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Growing up, Jim would always ask us, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" While I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, I know my great uncle supported me every step of the way.  Jim, thanks for helping this girl in a house of all boys and supporting all my dreams. While we are sad that you've passed, there is peace in our hearts knowing you are back with Poppop and the rest of your family.

Love you always, Susan

Some of my fondest memories of Uncle Jim are of all the stories he told me about traveling around the world with the merchant marines. His recollections of places like Egypt and France are part of what drew me to my current career in archaeology. It was even better once we got to swap stories about our travels. 

I also remember when he won tickets to see the Orioles game where Cal Ripken was going to break the record for consecutive games played because Uncle Jim himself was being honored for how long he worked without taking time off, although he didn’t seem to think that was all that remarkable. He turned them down, never being all that interested in sports.

And like Ted said, Christmas won’t be the same without our annual box of chocolates. Love you Uncle Jim ❤️

My Uncle was an extremely giving person and almost always put others before himself. Having him as a second father (as my Dad and him were twins) was fantastic. All the stories about the two of them are always the favorite stories to share with new friends.  

Jim spent WWII years in the Merchant Marines and saw more of Europe and Africa then anyone else in his family who served. He always loved to talk about those times and his adventures from WWII. For him it was a chance to see the world. 

All of this is a preamble to sharing one of my favorite memories and that is visiting the John Brown with Uncle Jim (a merchant marine ship from WWII) at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.  It remains a favorite because of a photo that was taken of Jim behind the wheel of that ship. Jim, who gave so much to others, often did not seem to take enough time for himself. The picture was something I had never seen before in my Uncle. It was a picture of pure joy. You can almost see the years melt away and a see a young man in his 20's and the prime of his life happy. It was a moment that I was glad to be able to see as he had always gone out of his way to give  to others. 

He may have been a twin - but he was truly one of a kind and it is indeed an honor to have been named after him. 

I have many great memories and thoughts of Jimmy Pop-Pop.  Here are a few that stand out:
- As a kid, whenever I saw him, he always asked me how everything was going in school and always wanted to know what I was learning about. This makes sense because he was also a very curious, knowledgable person. Even though he specifically loved cars, planes and boats, he was also someone you could talk with about religion, politics and the world in general.
- He took me to see a lot of films at the Senator, including (if my memory doesn't fail me) "Back to the Future", "Top Gun", and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
- His constant presence as a steady, even-handed, positive presence will never replaced, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had such positive "Uncle" role model in my life
 - Many airshow adventures with him and Pop-Pop, some of my favorite memories
- Late into his 90s, he still knew how (when I asked) to go down and sign up to be a Merchant Marine
- I never once saw him behave in even a slightly rude, disparaging manner to anyone.

Uncle Jim will be missed greatly . He was so caring and loving . Christmas won’t be the same without his gift of boxed chocolates.  We would have never had cats if he just didn’t show up with our beloved Sandy . He was caring , loving , and always willing to tell you a joke to brighten up your spirit .  Love you Jimmy Pop Pop !! 

Jim only lived with us the last six months of his life.  He was dealing with an early form of dementia.  As a result he must have asked "Is George dead or Did he die? "20 to 30 times a day. After I answered him he never failed to say thank you.  Never.


What stands out most for my family is Uncle Jim's kindness. Being there, listening and supporting us, always. And Uncle Jim always had something positive to say in good times, bad times or just everyday circumstances. He cared deeply about 'family', just like George.  The two together were truly a delightful legend.   How fortunate I was to have him in my life and that of Jessi and James.  Our deepest condolences to  the family.

OBITUARY

James L. Martin

November 15, 1919 – October 17, 2021

Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley Inc.

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