SEYMOUR
Duane A. Martin, 56, of Seymour passed away Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, at Columbus Regional Health with his family by his side.
Born Jan. 7, 1960, in Crossville, Tennessee, he was the son of Dr. Carl and Doris Brown Martin. On July 9, 1983, in Seymour, he married Joellen Waltz, who survives.
Duane graduated from Bloomington North High School, where he was a member of the baseball team. He then attended Indiana University, where he majored in business. He was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIGI) fraternity, where he acquired the nickname “Buzzard.”
He owned The Floor Store, Carpet One and Riverside Carpet One for more than 30 years. He also owned Historic Construction and Restoration, where he was a house-flipper extraordinaire. He had a love for old buildings, where he could pour out his creative ideas and restore places back to their original beauty. He enjoyed working in his barns and shop to remodel his own home and create and build a variety of projects.
Duane enjoyed golfing, traveling and days at the lake. He had a special love for his family and an exceptional bond with his grandson, Simon. He entertained everyone he knew with his good humor, infectious smile, large personality and genuine love for life.
Duane was a member of Seymour First Baptist Church, where he taught the high school Sunday school class weekly and played his trumpet during services. He was very active in all youth programs at churches he attended.
Duane’s favorite ability in life was giving and helping those in need by providing or finding employment, housing, etc. He loved making people’s lives better and seeing them prosper. He was a builder and restorer of lives and buildings.
Duane had a strong faith in Jesus Christ, his Savior, and he has finally reached his home in heaven. “The Buzzard has landed!”
Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by his children, Hannah (Blake) Burke, Cecily Martin and Reid (Janell) Martin; a grandson, Simon Burke; three sisters, Debra (Doug) Crawley, Donna (Jim) Strader and Darla Martin; his father-in-law, Donald (Sandra) Waltz; a sister-in-law, Melody (Mike) Hageman; a brother-in-law, Tony (Robin) Waltz; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Carl Martin, and mother-in-law, Peggy Waltz.
The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Seymour First Baptist Church with Pastor Johnnie Spivey officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Voss Chapel in Seymour and from 9 a.m. until time of service Friday at the church.
Memorials may be made to the Duane Martin Memorial Fund for Trades Training.
Online condolences may be made at vossfuneralservice.com.