Obituary of Gerald "Gerry" Martin

Gerald Alvin Martin, 58, lost his battle with cancer on December 11, 2017 surrounded by family.

The Celebration of Life for Gerry will be conducted from Southridge Community Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Friday, December 15, 2017 at 3:00 PM.

Born on December 14,1958 in Beauval, SK, his childhood was spent moving around between Beauval, Handel, North Battleford, eventually ending up in Carrot River. Soon after he moved to Carrot River a girl who worked at the bank caught his eye.  A few days later there was an "accidental" bike collision between Gerry and Debbie Reynolds.  She flew off her bike, and continued to fall head over heels in love. They were married on May 9, 1981.  They moved to Saskatoon and then Edmonton, but eventually moved back to Carrot River.

Gerry and Debbie have 2 sons, Ryan and Jeff. Gerry loved being a father. He took every opportunity to watch kids at hockey, football, or whatever sport they were playing. There were lots of memories made on overnight fishing trips. Gerry was always so proud of them did whatever he could to help his boys succeed.

When Gerry was about 10 he saw an oil rig close to his home. One day he was able to convince someone to give him a tour of the rig and after that he was hooked. This career took him all over BC, AB, SK and NWT. The rigs gave him the opportunity to work in Africa for a  year.  When the oil patch was slow he ran a painting business.

Gerry loved meeting new people, chatting, and telling stories. It was always difficult to get away from him once you started talking. He enjoyed fishing, metal detecting, building things, and lego (sometimes with his grandkids, sometimes without).  He was a jack of all trades and if you needed help with something he could do it or he would figure it out.

Gerry and Debbie loved working on their yard, or Debbie loved working on the yard and Gerry liked to make Debbie happy. They spent many hours enjoying their beautiful yard in Carrot River, biking, walking, and taking road trips to do a little exploring. They were able to take vacation together in the Maritimes this fall of 2017 before Gerry's health declined.

In August 2016, Gerry and Debbie moved to Lloydminster. Here Gerry opened a skate sharpening business, Pro-Edge Skate sharpening. But most importantly, the move allowed Gerry to spend all his spare time with his grandchildren, who were his pride and joy.

Gerry is survived by: his wife, Debbie of 36 years; his sons, Ryan (Leanne) and Jeff (Monica); his grandchildren, Braylen, Kyler, and Aleaha; his siblings Lucy, Darren (Gretz), Debbie and Dessiree (Karl); his nieces and nephews; and his  sister in laws, Delores, Shirley and Sherry Reynolds.  

Gerry was a loving father, husband, grandfather and friend to all.

Donations in memory of Gerry may be made to the Lloydminster Youth Centre or John Bosco Camp.

Gerry's memorial card can be viewed or downloaded from the link below.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/405d74ee-1f0b-4f84-a606-37148a672f22