David Martin

Our beautiful son, David Arthur Martin, passed away in the early morning hours of June 21, 2016, while at home in Mason, Ohio, at the age of 25. The oldest of eight in our family, he was born October 24, 1990, in Columbus, Ohio, surrounded by the love of his family. David was the oldest of 19 grandchildren on his father's side and one of 17 on his mother's. With doting parents and grandparents, eight aunts and eight uncles, many great aunts and uncles, more cousins and second cousins than one can shake a proverbial stick at, and even more who called him friend, David was blessed to have loved and have been loved by a greater number people in his short time with us than some ever know in lifetimes several times longer.

David always loved taking things apart, meeting people, cooking, making others happy, and music. He played (although didn't practice) the saxophone, and taught himself to play the guitar. His abilities to play Pink Floyd songs on a guitar by ear reminded me of his grandmother's abilities to do the same on her flute. As a teen, David loved skateboarding and his BMX style bike. He even built a "half-pipe" in our backyard – much to the chagrin of our uptight HOA, but to the delight of his friends (and through them, to our delight as well). David was the kind of guy who never met a stranger. He once met Emeril, and obtained his autograph in a cookbook for kids. Some of his happier times were spent at music festivals, surrounded by like-minded people of all ages. Gratefully, we've come to love many of his friends as family. After years of taking things apart, David exhibited a remarkable talent for putting them back together. Indeed, he repeatedly surprised us with how often and how well he could repair the car he loved so much. David was the kind of son that made our hearts and chests swell with pride.

A 2009 graduate of Mason High School, David was a talented artist who was accepted into the Fine Arts program at the University of Cincinnati; a feat that would have made his great-grandpa Balthasar (a graduate of that program) so proud. We were all so proud of him and the promise he showed. David enjoyed his time at UC, and his name appeared with some regularity on the Dean's List before he was introduced to heroin. While most of his life was marked by David timely meeting the normal, expected milestones (e.g., high school graduation, his first love, his great heartbreak, entry level jobs designed to teach him responsibility and the value of a dollar, and the pursuit of higher education/a higher purpose), progress in all aspects of his life stalled with his drug abuse, and the last two years of it were spent in and out of the legal system and various substance abuse treatment programs. As of the morning of his passing, we believe he'd been clean for seven months. It was the most hope for him we'd had in years. As of today, we do not know how or why he died. Maybe we'll know the answer to how when the toxicology results come in 6-12 weeks from now; perhaps not. We'll never know why.

David was a beautiful baby, born with fuzzy orange hair and beautiful blue eyes. He was blessed with his mother's good looks, intelligence, compassion, and wit. He delighted in everyone and everything, loved deeply, and lived his life with gusto. To know him was to love him. Alas, our beautiful, gentle, artistic son had a tormented spirit. Whether drugs are ultimately determined to be the cause of his death or not, they robbed us of any sense of security we had in the misperception that our love and faith could protect him and see him through this. We have dreaded this day for years, and prayed constantly that it would not come. Now that it has, we find solace in the fact that he left this life as he had entered it, a beautiful child surrounded by family who loved him. We are so grateful for the time we had with David, that he was loved by so many, and that he has been reunited with God and so many who have loved him. They will be better able to keep him safe.

David is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Katherine and Wally Skokal ("Gramps"), his friend Alex Jones ("Jonesy"), his great-parents Martin, Balthasar, Skokal, and Golinar, his Grandpa Youst and Great-Grandpa Youst, and far too many people in Southwestern Ohio and elsewhere who shared and lost their struggles with addiction. He is survived by his grieving family and friends. David's choices and his death have been especially traumatic for his siblings, including sisters Kaleigh, Kara, and Alyssa, and his youngest brother Patrick (who worshipped him), but even moreso for his sisters Katherine and Kristen, and his brother Daniel, who found him, called 9-1-1, and worked in vain to save him. He is also survived by his parents, Gary and Tracey, whose lives were forever changed with his birth and now – for the second time -- will never be the same again, his Martin grandparents, Lynn and Glenn, his Great-Grandma Youst, and his aunts, uncles, great-aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins, as well as by the thousands of people in our communities who unfortunately identify with our story.

Goodbye, David, and God bless you. We love you and miss you so much. Our lives will not be the same without you.

David will be cremated. All of his beauty, promise, and talent, gone forever. Ashes to ashes; dust to dust. Visitation will be Thursday, June 30, 2016 from 5:00-7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Sharon Woods. A memorial celebration service will be held at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Sharon Woods, where David was baptized almost 26 years ago. Father Cotton has been gracious enough to hold a Mass for David the following Friday morning, July 1, at 10:30. Afterward, David's ashes will be laid to rest with his Gramps at Resurrection Cemetery in Lewis Center. The family would appreciate being included in any prayers. In lieu of flowers, please do something nice for someone in David's memory; perform a random act of kindness, smile, and say "this is for you, buddy." Alternatively, please consider a donation to the Linder Center of Hope.