Louis Martin III

Louis Martin III passed away suddenly after a heart attack in the Florida Keys on March 13, 2024, at the age of 78.

He was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, in 1945, was very active in the First Presbyterian Church, and attended Martins Ferry High School where he played football, competed in track, and sang in Glee Club, attending the state competition to sing solo and ensemble. He was in the Boy Scouts, and becoming an Eagle Scout was one of his proudest accomplishments. After graduating in 1963, he attended the University of Cincinnati as a co-op student with Wheeling Steel, and while in college sang the Star-Spangled Banner at events.

Lou earned his degree in chemical engineering in 1968 from the University of Cincinnati and got a job at Mobay Chemical in New Martinsville, which later became Bayer and Lanxess. After a catastrophic accident at the plant, he dedicated most of the rest of his career to health and safety, becoming an expert in regulations, firefighting, and accident investigations, transferring to Pittsburgh to become corporate safety manager, and serving on many industry committees. He retired in 2004 but continued to do safety consulting work.

He had a lifelong love of literature, plays, and poetry and attended West Virginia University where he was named the English Department’s Outstanding First Year Graduate Student in 1986 and was awarded a master’s degree in English Language and Literature in 1989. He wrote numerous poems about his childhood, places he lived, and friends and family, often writing poems in remembrance of loved ones who passed away.

Lou learned to love the outdoors at an early age, hunting with his beloved Uncle Dick Myers, later hunting elk, moose, and bear in Colorado, Alberta, and British Columbia among other places. He most loved to hunt whitetail deer in West Virginia, Ohio, and Texas. Being an outdoorsman led him to be a firearms collector and gun rights advocate.

In the late 1980s, he converted to Catholicism and attended mass weekly. In retirement, he lived part of each year in the Florida Keys, which became a truly special place for him. In 2013, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, underwent chemo and radiation treatments, and spent three months in the hospital and many months in physical therapy recovering from the surgery. He was recently released from the program, having been declared clear of cancer.

In every part of his life, he made many lifelong friends. He was known for his wonderful and irreverent sense of humor, generosity, and intense loyalty. He also made enemies along the way and loved to tell stories about besting them in various battles. He spent the last years of his life hunting deer, visiting with friends and family, eating at good restaurants, and enjoying life.

He is preceded in death by his father Louis Martin Jr. and his mother Lucille Myers Martin. He is survived by his children Louis (Krista) Martin and Nancy (Ross) Basile, grandchildren Michael and Jane Basile, the love of his life Mary Ann Henderson and her son Brian (Julie) and his children Luke and Zach, his sisters Elizabeth (Allan) Brown and Marian J. Martin, and his lifelong best friend Don Cook. He will be missed by many.

Friends and family will be received Friday, March 22, from 6 to 8 pm, and Saturday, March 23, from 9 to 11 am at Wilson’s Funeral Home – Heslop Chapel, 415 Walnut St., Martins Ferry, Ohio 43935. Funeral service at 11 with Father Fred Kihm officiating, burial to follow at Riverview Cemetery.

To leave online condolences please visit www.wislonfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Louis Martin III to Wheeling Health Right, Inc., 61 29th St, Wheeling, WV 26003, or St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, 143 E South St, Cadiz, OH 43907.

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