His Irish eyes are smiling
By John ZOrnow
jzornow@cgazette.com

NEWARK: Friends and family gathered at St. Michael's Church recently to say goodbye to Orville James Martin, who will be remembered by many as a road warrior who passed away Jan. 6, 2009, at the age of 93.

Those who knew him even for a short time would testify that on every road he traveled, he did it intensely and with spirit.

His son, Jim Martin of Alexander City, Ala., told those gathered of his Dad's spirit, using words like "stubborn, passionate, frugal and decisive."

The Rev. Peter Clifford, who was invited back to his former parish for the service, offered Homily. Clifford called Mr. Martin a man of service to community, "wanting the world to be a better place."

Mr. Martin was the only child of John and Ethel (Watters) Martin. He lived out his entire life in the house where he was born. The home has been in the Watters family since the Civil War, and is on the tip of a drumlin at the corner of Welcher and Bloom roads. As a child, Mr. Martin would go "overtown" to attend the North Ward School, Lincoln Elementary School. Josie Spadafore, now 93, attended school with him.

"He was the smartest boy in sixth grade", she recalled, recalling that in 1934, they graduated from the old Washington High School on Church Street in Newark.

Growing up during the Great Depression instilled in Mr. Martin an even greater sense of values in addition to what he learned from his family. In the 1940s, he married Elizabeth Stell and worked at the Seneca Ordnance Depot in Romulus. Looking for a better occupation, he went to Rochester and was hired by Eastman Kodak. Over the next 30 years, he attended Rochester Institute of Technology and became an industrial engineer at Kodak Park. In the 1940s and 50s there were few people commuting from Newark to Rochester. Route 31, a then narrow twolane road was sometimes a desolate place early in the morning, unlike today. Robert Kirchhoff, of Palmyra, commuted with Mr. Martin to Kodak in 1946 and 1947.

"I was a young man just starting out and he taught me values, said Kirchhoff, who followed Martin's career over the years.

"If you can live that long and make that kind of impression on people, then you have succeeded", he added.

Dottie Cooper, of Newark, was also part of the Newark to Rochester carpool and described Mr. Martins driving as "aggressive".

Outside of work, Mr. Martins greatest passion was golf with football as his favorite spectator sport. When he traveled to Pittsburgh, in 1936, to see them play Notre Dame, he had little idea that he would become one of the greatest Irish fans ever. As a boy, he told friends, he'd been caught up by the Irish, listening to ball games on the radio. When interviewed shortly before his 87th birthday, he had made the 1,100-mile trip to South Bend, Ind., 60 times. He began the tradition and celebrated his 26th birthday, Dec. 7, 1941, at Notre Dame. He saw 11 University of Notre Dame coaches come and go.

His friend Tom Sheehan, 90, of Newark, made the trip to South Bend several times with Mr. Martin.

"We split the driving and all the expenses," said Sheehan, who confided that Mr. Martin was frugal and never paid full price for anything unless he had to.

Fiscal frugality is what led the conservative Democrat to run for office. He was elected supervisor of Arcadia from 1974 to 1980.

"He was the reason that we got involved in politics", said fellow former supervisor Tom Healy.

Mr. Martin also served 12 years on the Newark School Board. Accused of being a paper clip counter, Martin was always ready to ask the tough questions about large expenditures, and always carried a calculator to verify the amounts.

"He set the standard by which I served on the school board, realizing that he was there to look out for the interests and students and taxpayers as well," said Steve Murphy, who served on the Board of Education with him.

As friends and family filed from Mr. Martins funeral service that day, strains of Amazing Grace were followed by the Notre Dame Fight Song.

Mr. Martin was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Stell, of 56 years; his parents, John and Ethel; and his faithful companion, Dolly. He is survived by his son, James (Catherine); daughters, Joslyn (Burnell James) Henson; and Jacqueline Spiegel; grandchildren, Carrie (Carlos) Chapa, Michael Martin, Daniel (Kristy) Henson, Kimberly McRobbie, Jeremy Henson, Lisa (John) Williams, Thomas (Eileen Venuti), William Spiegel, Robert (Elizabeth) Spiegel; great-grandchildren, Michael and David Chapa; Sarah and Sean McRobbie; Kristen, Matthew and Michael Williams; Sean, Kathryn, Timothy and Colleen Spiegel; Amelia and Addison Henson; a very special and devoted niece and husband, Marcia (Engels) and C. Frederick Fowler; nephews, Gerard, Douglas and Robert Palmer; David Engels; nieces, Patricia Stell Demont and Harriet Stell and families; his devoted companion and dance partner, Ruth Brown; special neighbors, Ray and Carol Boyd and C. Richard and Barbara Boyd and families.

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