John Paul Martin Christian Husband and Father Retired, Navy Funeral services for John Paul Martin will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home with Revs. Malcolm Lewis, Max Burris, Danny Lanier and Paul Davis officiating. Burial with full military honors will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Mr. Martin, 80, of Meridian, died Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at Riley Hospital in Meridian . He was born March 4, 1929, in Vardaman, Miss. , to Addie Mae Harden Martin and Michael Carol Martin. He attended Vardaman High School . He married Mary Inez Long of Blaine, Miss. on July 30, 1949. They were married for 53 years, until her death in 2002. He married Virginia Stewart on November 22, 2003. He was a faithful member of Northcrest Baptist Church , where he sang in the choir and served as a deacon for many years. Mr. Martin earned the rank of Senior Chief in the U.S. Navy, and served his country for 26 years. During his career, he served on numerous ships and retired as a recruiter in Meridian in 1975. After retirement, he worked for Irby's Optical in Meridian . He will be remembered as a beloved Father, Husband, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and Brother. Survivors include his wife, Virginia Martin; children, Kenneth Paul Martin and his wife Debra of Vicksburg, Robert James Martin and his wife Masayo of Kaneohe, Hawaii and Sheila Gail Kowall and her husband David of Enterprise; stepchildren, Travis Stewart and Paulette Buchanan, both of Meridian; brother, Dale Martin of Leland; sisters, Bonnie Naron of Vardaman and Mary Ruth Johnson of Woodland; seven grandchildren, Becky Dennis and her husband Jim of Vicksburg, Laura Knight and her husband Jay of Brandon, Evelyn Watkins and her husband Wes of Meridian, Pete Kowall and his wife Kelly of Charleston, S.C., Joshua Martin and his wife Amy of Pearl, Kaine Martin and Daichi Martin of Kaneohe, Hawaii; and great-grandchildren, Nathan Knight and Gracie Dennis. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 53 years, Mary Inez Martin; brothers, Manley, Wayne, Felix, Charles, Mike Jr. and James; and sisters, Bernice, Pearl and Ann. The family requests memorial donations be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (www.cff.org/) or the Boomer Esiason Foundation (www.esiason.org/) Pallbearers will be provided by the military. Honorary pallbearers are Pete Kowall, Josh Martin, Jim Dennis, Wes Watkins, Jay Knight, and Andy Martin. Visitation will be today, from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
