Henry Lee Martin, 72, of Tyler, Texas, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2022, after a brief illness, NOT Covid. He is survived by his mother, Jo Martin, of Whitehouse; wife, Donna Martin of Chapel Hill; his children, Jamie and Amy Martin of Whitehouse, Missy Karnes and Gary Robertson of Cresson, and Jimmy Hockaday of Amarillo; his grandchildren, Charli and Tucker Martin, and Zach and Tyson Karnes; sister, Lezlie Kline of Whitehouse, Suzan Walsh of El Paso; brother, David Tebrinke of Ponca City, Oklahoma; special cousin, David Coffelt of Denver; stepmother, Pat Tebrinke of Ponca City, Oklahoma, and nephew, Dawson Weigardt of Tyler; and special niece Sharon Fincher of Queen City. He is preceded in death by his adoptive father, James Martin; his father, Henry Tebrinke; sister, LaDonna James, and brother, Michael Tebrinke.
Henry was born on January 28, 1949, in Oklahoma City. He graduated from Pontiac High School in Pontiac, Michigan. He attended the Citadel and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps and was a Vietnam Veteran, having received a Purple Heart. He was a member of Green Acres Baptist Church and the Masonic Lodge. He retired from AT&T after 44 years. He gave his family regular updates on which restaurants around town had dirty kitchens because he spent so much time working on their phone lines. He loved to eat, so he always knew the best restaurants!
Henry was an avid outdoorsman and he loved to hunt and fish. He was an amazing cook and he was quite territorial when it came to “his” kitchen. If anyone opened a cabinet or drawer, he could hear it from across the house and wanted to know what they were looking for. He was a wonderful Poppy to his four grandchildren and got great joy pulling them on inner tubes behind the boat on Lake Tyler. He took great pride in slinging his children off the tubes and often left them bruised, sore, but ready for the next challenge. He was also a great dog dad and spoiled their dog Izzy. Henry had an infectious laugh and a huge heart. He has left a void and will be terribly missed.
Visitation will be Tuesday, January 25, from 5:00 – 7:00 at Lloyd James Funeral Home in Tyler. Funeral services will be on Wednesday, January 26, at 1:00 at Lloyd James. Burial following at Tyler Memorial Park with Military Honors and Masonic Rites.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lloydjamesfuneralhome.com for the Martin family.
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