James Heber Martin

Jim was blessed with a long and beautiful life. He knew it and was extremely thankful for it. He was 93 1/2 years old when he passed in his sleep at home after a relatively short and very courageous battle with cancer. Jim was born in Oklahoma to a wildcat driller dad and a college professor mom, moving many times before landing in Long Beach, California. At California State University he played football and was on the swim team, later becoming one of the first lifeguards on the beaches of Long Beach. On almost the last day of college Jim joined the U.S. Coast Guard and served 4 years during the Korean War. He always wanted to be on the water or in the sky. Jim's passion for flying led him to a career in aerospace engineering where he was honored to be part of the massive team that landed a man on the moon and sent astronauts into outer space. After retirement in 1993 Jim and Patti moved from California to Cape Coral, Florida, where they bought a home on the water, living the dream, with a big boat in the backyard and a 100 gross ton Captain's license. Many trips followed, exploring the waters of south Florida and to their condo on Bimini Island in the Bahamas. World travel was another big passion and included many cruises and independent road trips with family and friends in Europe, Norway, Iceland and of course, Ireland. Along the way he got his private pilot's license and believe it or not, he piloted a Cessna out of Page Field at the age of 92! Of course there was a flight instructor aboard too. Jim was an avid reader and regularly read 2-3 books per week. The amazing thing was he remembered the title and plot of everything he read, even years later. Jim was a very interesting conversationalist with encyclopedic knowledge and he had charisma, for sure. The amazing thing was he was able to travel to Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland for over a month this spring and had just returned home on May 4, 2025! 

Jim is survived by his wife of 46 years, Patti Martin, and a blended family of children, James Martin, Jr. (Felicia), Kevin Stearns (Louann Lightfoot), Shari Mauro, and Andrea Duncan. Another daughter, Christine McLellan (Anthony) was sadly lost to breast cancer in 2000. Locally Jim and Patti are blessed to have a daughter, Christina Porter, wonderful son in law, Christopher Bevan, grandchildren Spencer Bevan, Kelly Bevan, and Salina McLellan, RN (Alexis), and a host of friends.

Our family thanks the team of Hope Hospice angels and the medical teams of Lee Health including Courtney McGovern and Jim's pulmonologist, Krunal Patel, M.D. whose kindness, perception and honesty blew us away. We will miss Jim's wisdom, kind counsel, courage, humor and love, forever and ever and of course, his wonderful "Florida Funnies". Always in our hearts. Celebration of Life/Irish Wake will follow at a later date.

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.