Thomas Franklin Martin

Thomas Franklin "Frank" Martin age 75 of Grapevine, Texas passed away on August 24, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Funeral services will be held at 2 P.M., Thursday, August 30, 2018 at Lawson Funeral Home in Meridian. Dr. Jerry Smith will officiate. Graveside services will be 1 P.M., Friday, August 31, 2018 at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, Texas with Rev. Nathan Tucker officiating.

Thomas Franklin Martin was born on April 4, 1943 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Thomas Bishop and Helen M. Short Martin. He lived in Wichita Kansas for 10 years and then moved to Memphis, Tennessee and lived there for a number of years before the family moved to Dallas where as a freshman he attended Thomas Jefferson High School for 2 years. He graduated from Highland Park High School. As a child, Frank loved watching the "Lone Ranger", "Hop Along Cassidy" and eating ice cream. He also loved dressing up as a cowboy complete with six guns. He loved going to the airport since his father, Bill worked out there for Dobbs Houses. It was there that he loved watching planes land and take off. Frank loved fishing for crawdads in Sleeping Hollow Creek in Wichita, Kansas and catching, roasting and eating grasshoppers. He liked fishing with Grandpa Hues on Arkansas River in a flat bottom boat. He loved sled rides and duck hunting with his father Bill. Frank talked a lot about loving his mother's cooking especially her brownies. The family attended Eurdora Baptist Church together in Memphis where he was baptised. One of the things he enjoyed most was pestering his older sister, Barbara and Clara Lee. He was the baby and he always got away with a lot. He and his entire family were very close. His niece, Barbara Helen, his nephews, Bryan, Bruce, John T., and Boy were much loved. He loved his wife and children deeply. They took trips together and went fishing. He always loved Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays and celebrating with his family. He loved watching his son, Thomas Allen play football and loved his daughter, Angela's art work. He was always there afor advice if needed. His granddaughters, Alexis and Audrey were so precious to him as well as his grandson, Nathaniel. Frank also enjoyed spending time with his in-laws, Mike, Gary, Shana and Rob. He considered them just as much as family as he did the rest of his family. His wife Wendy and he enjoyed so many things together like going to the thoroughbred horse races, antiques, traveling, and just being together and of course their beloved four pound little dog, Willie. He and Wendy worked and traveled a lot together on conventions for Dobbs Houses. After he graduated from high school he went to Baylor University where he graduated in 1968 with a business degree. In between years at Baylor he joined the United States Navy and served from 1963 to 1965 on active duty on a destroyer ship called the USS Wedderburn. He served in the Western Pacific. He was proud to have served as Quarter Master and worked on the bridge of the ship on charts to navigate the ship. He was in the reserves until 1969. He and his wife Wendy married in 1967. After graduating from Baylor he went to Wichita, Kansas to train to work for Dobbs Houses, Inc. He became a general manager for Dobbs in San Antonio in 1968. He was later promoted to regional manager and eventually became the vice president. He was with Dobbs Houses from 1969 to 1992 until the company was sold. He liked cooking, working on genealogy, golf and traveling after that. However, he loved working and after moved to Grapevine, Texas he went to work for Ebby Halliday Realtors in 2001 where he worked until his illness prevented him from doing so. Frank and Wendy shared many wonderful years together and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 6th of last year. It was my honor to be his wife and will always love and miss him and feel like a part of me is missing because it is. Frank left to be with his God that he had come to loved so much on August 24, 2018 around 8:10 in the morning. He was at the Hospice of Texas in Fort Worth. He had not been there even 24 hours before he passed away. He died as he lived with dignity, strength and determination. He tried to make even his passing easier on his loved ones by trying to make us laugh. He sang "Holly Jolly Christmas" with a surgical nurse named Holly while going into surgery. They told me after the surgery was over how much they admired him. He wanted to make sure that I, Wendy thanked you all for being at his service. A special thanks to Terri and Vincent Roach. Without them it would not have been possible to survived the last 3 years without all their loving care and help. He wanted to tell you he loved you all and that you were his reason for living. God Bless you all and thank you.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Linda "Wendy" Martin of Grapevine; son, Thomas Allen Martin and wife, Shana, of Hurst; daughter, Angela Helen Brown and husband, Rob, of Howell, Michigan; granddaughters, Alexis Martin and Audrey Paxton; grandson, Nathaniel Cleaver; sisters, Clara Hall and husband, Mike, of Goldthwaite; Barbara Bean of Wichita Falls; nephews, Boyd Hall, John T. Hall and wife, Debbie, Bryan Bean, Bruce Bean; other relatives and many friends.

Preceded in death by his parents, Thomas "Bill" and Helen Martin; grandmother, Clara Bell; niece, Barbara Helen Hall; and brother-in-law, Gary Bean.

Words of comfort and peace can be sent to the family at www.lawsonfuneralhome.net.

Arrangements were made by Lawson Funeral Home, Meridian, Texas 254-435-2792.