Memorial services for Charles Raymond Martin, 97, of Friendswood, Texas, will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Shafer Funeral Home in Lufkin. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Nacogdoches.

            In the East Texas town of Nacogdoches, Charles Raymond Martin was born on August 23, 1929, to Annie Laura (Grubbs) Martin and Mid Frank Martin joining stepbrothers Aaron and Willie Martin. It was Depression times, but their farm provided a healthy, productive life and the nearby Grubbs family helped nurture the loving atmosphere.

            Throughout his life Charles emulated the qualities he learned at home. He had a calm strength, a “gentle giant”. He was modest, honest, resourceful, creative, steadfast, honorable, dependable, gracious and devoted and mischievous. Not a talkative man, he said what needed to be said, but Charles was often content to simply listen to the birds and the breeze through the trees.

             He refined his principals of hard work and self-discipline during his years working at the movie theaters in Nacogdoches, delivering ice and laboring at the foundry in Lufkin. In 1953, he and his wife, Willie Mae, and 2 yr old Loresa, moved to South Houston, Texas. They joined hundreds of East Texas friends coming south to work in the oil refineries along the Houston Ship Channel. He retired from Phillips Petroleum Company in 1983 at the age of 54 having worked primarily in the Water Treatment Plant. It was solitary work but suited him in many ways. He still had energy to do his home projects, drive a school bus or go skiing after work.

           With the help of his father, he remodeled the first house, then built a second house on Avenue H in South Houston. The family grew with Glynis in 1956 and Andy in 1961. The Pasadena School District was ranked in the top academically and he always encouraged and supported our activities. After retirement, he and Willie Mae moved to Hudson, Texas, where he built a much larger house with plenty of room and land for gardening and grandchildren, with close proximity to great aunts and uncles in Nacogdoches as well as Willie Mae’s family in Lufkin.

           He was hard working with a “Can Do” attitude. If something was broken or not working, he never hesitated to try to repair it. There was always a project in progress in the shop, and he was willing to teach you or let you help whether it was woodworking, car maintenance, remodeling or rebuilding.

          Charles and Willie Mae welcomed a visit whether spontaneous or planned and a hug was expected when you arrived and as you left. The Martin’s Nest in Hudson was a memorable Gathering place. A ready smile, a warm handshake or big hug greeted old and new friends. Over the years they modeled extraordinary care by providing shelter or a temporary home for many immediate and distant families in South Houston and Hudson.

          There was always a roaring fire in the fireplace when the temps dropped. However, he preferred to be outside whenever possible – even in a hurricane. He liked to work with his cows, hunt with friends, cleaned many more fish than he caught, and his gardens produced an abundance for the family and others. What wasn’t eaten or given away, was processed for the future by filling freezers and jars. He refined the process of teamwork and involved everyone available whether it was shelling purple hull peas, creaming corn, making sugar cane syrup or cranking a tub of homemade ice cream.

          One of his greatest pleasures in life was seeing and experiencing the beauty of God’s Creation. Charles could be found anywhere in the lower 48 states traveling with immediate or extended family and old and new friends. The movement of the moon across the sky at his home in East Texas, the changing of the colors in fall, the inexpressible blue of Crater Lake in Oregon, the mystery of the Smoky Mountains, the grandeur of Niagara Falls, the wilds of the Rocky Mountains all held his rapt attention and appreciation.

          Many good times happened hunting and on a lake. He enjoyed water skiing as well as teaching others and pulled perhaps hundreds of teenagers around a lake or river ever patient and encouraging. You could also find him playing 42 or enjoying Bluegrass music with friends. He moved to Village on the Park in Friendswood in 2018 where he celebrated his 97th birthday on August 23, 2026. While living there, he was often a part of events at family gatherings at Loresa or Glynis and Tippy’s home, watching grandchildren’s baseball games, going to Blue Grass performances and remarkably, attending 3 out of state grandchildren’s weddings.

          If you asked Charles what his greatest achievement was, he would probably say his family. He was pleased with who his children became, he was proud of his grandchildren and their spouses, and he delighted in his great-grandchildren.

         Mr. Martin is survived by his children, Loresa Martin Loftin, Glynis Martin David and husband George “Tippy” David, and Charles Andrew Martin and wife Terry Torrance Martin; grandchildren, Matthew Loftin, Amanda Loftin-Mills and Aaron Mills, Frances David Wheeland, Colin David and Lauren Batson David, Ethan Martin and Linsey Laserte Martin, Avry Martin Bartlett and Mark Bartlett; and great-grandchildren, Charlsey Wheeland, Ayden Wheeland, Rylee Ann Mills, Ellianna David, and Caius Bartlett.

          He was preceded in death by his wife, Willie Mae (Carroll) Martin; Annie Laura (Grubbs) Martin; Mid Frank Martin; along with numerous aunts, uncles, friends, and family.

          Visitation will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Shafer Funeral Home, prior to the memorial service.

          Shafer Funeral Home, Lufkin directors.