Edward Joseph Martin, Poppo, or Joe as he was known to most, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on the morning of October 19th, 2023, at the age of 81. A fighter until the very end. He leaves behind a legacy of enjoying life, even in the face of adversity.
Joe was born June 30th 1942 in Wichita, KS to Fay C and Belle Jane Martin and joined his sister Linda to complete the family. For anyone that knew Joe as an adult it comes as no surprise he was described as a “pesky younger brother.” After graduating from the Missouri Military Academy in 1960 Joe embarked on the bachelor lifestyle. Sick of torturing his pallet with mediocre takeout and burning a hole in his wallet, Joe, with the help of his father, decided to dive head first into elevated cooking and began to develop his reputation as a grill master, a lifelong passion he would pass down to his son and grandchildren.
Joe would then proudly serve his country in the United States Army, having enlisted in August 1962. He was honorably discharged in October, 1964. He served more than 26 months on active duty, including nearly 16 overseas as a member of Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th US Infantry Division… the famed “Berlin Brigade,” during the height of the Cold War in Berlin, Germany. He remained a staunch patriot for his entire life.
After leaving the army and the death of his father, Joe's friends worried about him staying home alone and forced him to go to the Candle Club in Wichita, which according to Joe was famous for “the salad bar, prime rib, catfish and lousy entertainment.” Thankfully, Joe agreed to go because it was that night he would meet the love of his life, Johnette. In the ensuing days and months, Joe dialed up the charm and put on the “full court press” as he described it. Which apparently worked as they were married on Valentine's Day 1966 and spent the next 57 years together, moving to Denver back to Wichita and eventually to Overland Park, welcoming their son, J.D. along the way.
Joe certainly had the gift of gab. This gift would lead him to various jobs throughout his life, as he sold just about everything, from exercise equipment to diet pills to golf swing aids to dog training programs, eventually carving out a role in the Kansas City dent repair community. When he wasn't using his gifts to provide for his family he used them to give back to his church. He dedicated most of his free time to Ascension Catholic Church, Catholic Charities and the Knights of Columbus, where he was a Fourth Degree member. He cherished the work he did for the church, most notably, fish frys and any event run by the Knights.
An extremely hard worker, he also took the time to enjoy life. He loved a good party, especially if he was in charge of the food or there was good bourbon. Throughout the 90’s you could find him in Lot C at Arrowhead Stadium, all you had to do was look for the tallest flag in the parking lot. “No seriously, it's taller than the light poles and it's in the official Chiefs book!” he would say with his unmistakable enthusiasm. In the summers, he would fire up the grill and invite anyone over to the pool for “hot guts,” BBQ and his famous margaritas. The margaritas, in hindsight, were probably just to help people forget that dinner was late when he inevitably got caught up telling one of his stories.
While he took great pride in the accomplishments of his own life, he was most proud of his son and grandchildren. Nothing brought a smile to his face quicker than telling his grandchildren about how cool their father used to be and watching them react in disbelief. He made sure to create a special bond with each grandchild, often finding activities he could do with them such as tennis and golf. One grandchild, however, did not have the patience for these “slower” sports, which led to Joe’s most ambitious attempt at bonding, learning to ice skate in his late 50’s. Fortunately that grandchild also took up football and Joe became his biggest fan. No one believed in their grandchildren more than “Poppo” and he made sure to let them know.
He was an optimistic man to the very end, believing that better days were always ahead and that any problem was beatable. It was this optimism that made him so beloved by the nurses and doctors during the various medical battles in his life. His will to continue to experience the good parts of life kept him active and fighting until God finally gave him permission to rest. He will be missed by those who remain and also celebrated for the life he lived and the memories he left behind.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his bride, Johnette Martin; his sister Linda (Martin) Jones; his son J.D. Martin and his wife Stephanie; and his grandchildren Sarah (Martin) Jones and her husband Jay, Austin Martin and his wife Abby and Blake Martin; and four great grandchildren.
On Saturday, October 28th, the Honor Guard will stand watch in the Sanctuary over Joe’s cremains from 9:00-10:00 am. Mass will be celebrated in his honor at 10am at Church of the Ascension in Overland Park. The mass will be followed by lunch and time for family and friends to come together and do what Joe enjoyed most in life; eat, drink and be with the people he loved.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that contributions be made to Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas in Joe’s memory. Catholic Charities is an organization that Joe dedicated his time and energy to and donations will go a long way to continuing that work.