Richard Loye Martin (December 19, 1924-February 13, 2023) of Mabank, Texas. Richard ("Dick") Martin was born December 19, 1924, at his grandparents' home in Waldron, Arkansas. He graduated from Fort Smith High School in 1942 and enrolled at Texas A&M and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. After his freshman year, he entered the Army in the summer of 1943. Dick served the balance of World War II as a member of the Army Signal Corps where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He was stationed in Morocco with a group of the Signal Corps assigned to the Spanish Foreign Legion and was later moved to Algeria as part of communications between Washington, D.C and Moscow. Following his discharge from the Army, Dick returned to college at the University of Arkansas in the Summer of 1946 and graduated in 1949 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Dick continued his education at Illinois Institute of Technology and Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) where he obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1957.
In 1948, Dick married the love of his life, Maxine Kelley Martin. Dick and Maxine celebrated their 62nd anniversary on August 7, 2010, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where the couple enjoyed spending their summers. On November 26, 2010, Maxine succumbed to cancer. During their marriage, they maintained a membership at Southern Hills Country Club as they rotated between their main residence on Cedar Creek Lake in Texas, their beloved townhouse in Colorado and a family home in Tulsa. Dick is survived by his four children, Diane Poff of Roanoke, Virginia, Richard K. Martin of Dallas, Texas, Janelle Madeley of College Station, Texas, and Daniel C. Martin of Tulsa, Oklahoma, thirteen grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Maxine and one grandson. During their married life, Dick's career took them to the East Coast and then across the Atlantic. The couple started their life together in Fayetteville, Chicago, and Tulsa. As their family grew, they moved to Benghazi, Libya; New Canaan, Connecticut; Tripoli, Libya; Marsa el Brega, Libya; and finally back to Tulsa before they settled in Texas in 1987. Dick and Maxine enjoyed golf, bridge and travel together. They toured much of Europe while living overseas, and traveled to China as China was first opening up to tourism in the early 90's. Dick had a lifetime passion for fishing, and was still wading into trout streams well into his 90's. This was a life well lived. Funeral Services are set for Friday, February 17, 2023, 2:00 PM, Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel. Visitation is available prior to the service starting at 1:15 at the Cemetery Chapel. Funeral arrangements by Moore's Rosewood Chapel www. moorefuneral.com