99 years, 5 months and 4 days. Wow! How do you summarize a life that length, in the time we have here together today?!
Robert Martin was born in Trinidad, Colorado on April 27, 1917.
In the later part of his life----he had set a goal for himself. That goal was to outlive his sister, Carmen, who had lived to the age of 95!! As his birthdays passed he realized that he needed to reset that goal!! He changed it to live to be 100 years---AND to receive a letter from the President congratulating him! He came very close,… and in those 99 years--- he did so much living, that it can easily be said, he met his goal of a Life Well Lived!
Those that knew him well called him Bob. But to his family he was either Papa, or Uncle Bob. He was so loved by everyone that met him, that his family has said he truly is "Everyone's Papa! "
His son, Jim, would like me to share a few words about how his Dad started out his life, met the love of his life, and journeyed down his life path.
As a young boy, my Dad lived through the Great Depression. Although times were hard, he had always said, "I am so lucky, I have never wanted for anything in my life". This contests to the wonderful positive attitude my dad always maintained.
His Dad died when he was 13, and he was left with not much of a father figure. He was basically raised by his mom and two sisters, who were such strong influences in his life.
Then when the 2nd world war came, He wanted to enlist in the Armed Forces, like all the other young men. To his surprise he was rejected, due to having Flat Feet! ( I found that to be quite funny, because, he had walked hundreds of miles on golf courses, and did just fine! Haha) Because he had such a strong desire to contribute to the war effort, he went to work in the shipyards. That is where he learned to weld and become a pipefitter.
He met the love of his life, my mom, Elsie McClellan, in 1935 on a blind date. They dated for 4 years and were married in 1939.

When the war ended he went to work as a steamfitter in the oil refineries, with Union Oil. He had seen a vacant lot across the street from where they were living on G Street, in Wilmington, and decided to buy it. He was working the night shift, so he spent his day time hours building a home for his family!! Once the home was complete, it was his pride and joy. Imagine---- to create a home for your family with your own hands!
My brother Bob and I were born in the 50's and my parents felt their family was now complete!

Well Before you know it, it is 1979 and Dad is ready to retire. For the next 14 years, mom and dad spent many years in their travel trailor going to the high Sierras to Paradise Lodge, and other destinations, which opened up a whole new adventure for them.

In that time, they also became grandparents, to Ashley, Alex and Jean, which was a huge highlight in their lives.
In April of 1993, my mom passed away ,--- she had been his true love for 54 years. This was a devastating blow to Dad. This opened up a new phase of his life. He learned how to cook and did it with great gusto! He baked bread, and pies, and jams, and was always looking up recipes and creating tasty meals! He learned how to become self-sufficient!
He went on to join the Lions Club and Meals on Wheels, because he felt it was so important to volunteer and give back. Through friends that he met at the Lions Club he began annual fishing trips to Kenaii, Alaska, to go salmon fishing. He did this as long as he was physically able, which was about 12 years! He would easily bring home 100 pounds of salmon each season!
I also want to mention how important golf was to him, he spent many hours on the golf course, perfecting his game, and he was very good at it!
He was a very talented man. He loved to make stained glass pictures and windows, watercolor paintings and wood carvings. Through the years, he became quite a talented carpenter, building numerous pieces of furniture for his house, that are still in his home today.

He was a perpetual student taking classical music classes, for 30 years at the community college! He loved Classical music and would sit at his computer, and listen to it for hours, it gave him such pleasure! He read books every day…and did his share of keeping Amazon in business! I think he ordered a new book every other week!

He enjoyed doing the cross word puzzle every day in the LA Times, and always kept up with current events. He could hold a conversation with anyone, on any topic! He was quite a conversationalist, and an avid story teller! We lovingly heard those stories numerous times---but would never interrupt him! Dad definitely did his best to stay up with the times, by having his own facebook page, and keeping his cell phone in his pocket at all times!

But Dad not only talked, he was always a good listener. He had a saying that we all know—"One of the greatest gifts you can give anyone is to be a good listener". And THAT he was.

There is one tradition that held strong in the Martin family at 5Pm everyday---and that was tea time! Papa enjoyed his tea time, and we're not talking Liptons!

He never complained,….never! He was always thankful for everything he had in his life. Even at the end of his life, when he knew his days were numbered, he did not complain.

My dad is one in a million and I could talk for years about him. I imagine all of you here today have your stories and memories that could go on and on about him, as well. On behalf of my family, I want to thank you for being here today, for all of the kind words, love and support. It means so much to us. But I am quite sure that Dad is right here today too, smiling and thanking you as well for being part of his life. You were all a huge part of his life.

I love my dad with all of my heart, he was my best friend. I will miss him dearly and remember him forever.
Graveside Services will be Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 11:00am, held at All Souls Cemetery, 4400 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90807. Email Condolences to www.ChapmanFuneralDirectors.com