| ross d. martin |
| family |
Joe
Gordon Martin
September 17th, 1930 to January 29th, 2009
Husband, father, friend, and one helluva character.
You will be greatly missed by the many who benefited
from your generosity and wonderful sense of humor.
This website
is in
celebration of my father, Joseph Gordon Martin, who enriched this earth
with his presence from September 17th, 1930 to January 29th,
2009. In the short time since his death following a long battle
with prostate cancer, our family has received a great outpouring of
love from many, many sources. Please share your memories of Joe
at joe-gordon-martin.memory-of.com.
Below you will find more about his book, The Life and Times of Joe Gordon (to the
best of my recollection), a collections of stories, life lessons
and practical jokes.
The
Life and Times of Joe Gordon
(to
the best of my recollection)
by Joseph Gordon Martin
The Martin Clan and their Relationships to Joe Gordon
Back Row
(left to right): Cousin Barbara
Wheatcraft-Williams, Uncle Jim and Aunt Reland Gilly, Uncle Charles
Gilly, Aunt Mary Gilly, Uncle Billy Gilly,
Uncle Ralph Gilly
Middle Row: Mother Glessie Gilly
Martin, Uncle John and Aunt Rena Gilly
(Martha Dru’s Mom and Dad)
Front Row:
Cousin Barbara’s
Son Don Paul Williams, Cousin Martha Dru Gilly,
Joe Gordon Martin
In May 2007, our family self-published The Life and Times of Joe Gordon (to the best of my recollection), by Joseph Gordon Martin. We printed up 500 copies of this 200-page collection of stories, life lessons and practical jokes to capture the colorful life of a remarkable man. Click here to read my foreword to the book.
We've been sharing copies with friends, family and colleagues since its release and would be happy to send one to you. Send $15 ($10 for the book; $5 for shipping and handling) via PayPal to me at ross@rossmartinmd.com along with your shipping address. If you'd prefer to pay by check, email me and I'll send you instructions for mailing payment. Our stock is running out, so order soon if you'd like one.
Here are some comments we've received - including one from Adriana Trigiani, best-selling author of Big Stone Gap, and other wonderful books set in Dad's hometown of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. If you'd like to make a comment, please send me an email and I'll post it.
| Joe Gordon Martin writes of his life in the mountains of southwest Virginia, with humor, warmth, and truth. This book is a treasure. Through Joe Gordon's eyes, you see the world as he remembers it, by an author who lived it. His stories conjure a time gone by, in a simple world filled with complex emotions. I highly recommend a journey through Mr. Martin's life and times. You won't want it to end. | ||
| Adriana
Trigiani Author of Big Stone Gap and other best-sellers |
||
| I take Joe Gordon to bed with me every night! | ||
| Col.
Colleen Ryan Base Commander, Wright-Patterson AFB (later claimed she was speaking about the book) |
||
| I
wanted to be sure to thank-you both for the lovely book that was so
lovingly written and shared with me. A couple of days [after
getting the book] I was called unexpectedly to |
||
| Terry Krall | ||
| Marv got hold of the book first. She was reading it next to me in bed when the bed started shaking! Lots of laughs. | ||
| Rev.
Ron Richard Joe's Minister from the 1980s |
||
| What a delight! My Joe and I were fighting over who got to read it first and I won! | ||
| A Long-time Friend | ||