James D. Martin's Obituary
James Dale “Jim” Martin of Decatur, IL died Tuesday January 8, 2019 at Silverado Memory Care in Plano, Texas. Visitation will be from 6 PM to 8 PM, Friday, January 18, 2019 at Moran and Goebel Funeral Home; Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 AM Saturday, January 19, 2019 at St. Thomas Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Teresa High School Educational Foundation or Decatur Catholic Charities.
Jim was born October 13, 1934 in Decatur, IL, to parents Edmund Joseph and Anne Christine (Murphy) Martin. He graduated from St. Teresa High School in 1952 and attended St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, IN. Jim accepted a position at the Illinois Power Company, where his work focused on data processing with IBM mainframes, an advanced technology at the time. He served at the Illinois Power Company for 42 years, until his retirement in 1995. His service at Illinois Power was interrupted while he served in the Army from 1957 to 1959, where he was stationed in Chicago, IL.
Jim was a nearly lifelong member of St. Thomas Church; he served as basketball coach at St. Thomas, as a Parish Council member, and was also a baseball coach for Decatur Khoury League. He married Dema Jane Guyer on August 11, 1962 and they were husband and wife for 44 years, until her death on January 1, 2007. In addition to raising three children, Jim and Dema Jane also raised and cared for many cocker spaniels, who were nearly family surrogates. Jim spent the last three years at Silverado Memory Care in Plano, TX where he brought his humor and congenial spirit to the Silverado staff and many residents.
Jim is survived by his three children: Scott Martin of Allen, TX; Jeff Martin and his wife Kathy of Downers Grove, IL; and Julie Paxton and her husband John of Frisco, TX. In addition, Jim is survived by his four grandchildren; Kyle and Riley Paxton of Frisco, TX and Elisse and Ethan Martin, of Downers Grove, IL. On behalf of Jim, Scott, Jeff, and Julie express their gratitude to Jim’s Decatur friends, who went out of their way to provide companionship, rides, thoughts, and prayers for Jim during his twelve years of widowhood.
The family of Jim Martin is being served by Moran & Goebel Funeral Home, 2801 N. Monroe St. Decatur, IL. Please view the online obituary, send condolences, and share memories at www.moranandgoebel.com.
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