

  <p>Martin, William R. (Red)</p>
  <p>Passed: 2011-12-02</p>
  <p>Age: 99</p>


  <p>Source: Jackson Herald</p>

  <p>Death Notice: </p>

  <p>Obituary Date: 2011-12-06</p>
  <p>Information: William R. ""Red"" Martin of Ripley, passed away on December 2, 2011 after a long and active life.  A direct descendent of John ""Paddy"" Huddleston, a pioneer of the Upper Kanawha Valley, Red lived longer than any ancestral Martin since the Revolutionary War Period.  Born in Cedar Grove WV on August 16, 1912, Red was the son of George H. and Alma Thaxton Martin.  He is survived by daughter, Nancy Martin Davis, and her husband Robert ""Bob"" of Sumter SC; son, R. David ""Butch"" Martin, and his wife, Debbie Thomas Martin, of Richmond VA; three grandsons, William Scott Davis, Ret. GYSgt USMC; Andrew D. Martin; and Nicholas R. Martin; three great-grandchildren; and his brother, Floyd E. ""Red"" Martin of Whitesville WV.  In addition to his lovely wife, Ruby Johnson Martin, he was preceded in death by a brother, Henry Lee Martin, and sisters, Hazel E. Martin and Mary Ellen Bryant.         Red graduated from East Bank High School and attended New River State College (now WVU Institute of Technology) in Montgomery.  His working career began as secretary of East Bank High School in 1933.  Red and Ruby began their life together in Boone County in 1935, where he was a bookkeeper, miner, and later manager of stores for Anchor Coal Company in Highcoal and Whitesville.  After serving with the USMC during World War II, he and Ruby moved to Sylvester WV where they assisted in the development of the town and he was elected the town&#39;s first mayor.  Red and Ruby moved to Ripley in 1959.  He retired from the State Tax Department in 1975 as Supervisor of Appraisals in the Local Government Relation Division.         Red was Past Master of Boone Lodge No. 162 AF & AM where he had been a member since 1937.  He was also a member of the Ripley Chapter No. 17, Order of the Eastern Star, and Past Worthy Grand Patron of the General Grand Chapter.  Funeral services were Monday, December 5, 2011 at the Epworth United Methodist Church, corner of Church and North Streets in Ripley.  Burial followed in Jackson County Memory Gardens at Cottageville.  Memorials may be made to the Epworth United Methodist Church, 299 N. Church St., Ripley WV 25271.</p>


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