OBITUARY

OF

HESTON DEE MARTIN

Heston Dee Martin was born on April 18, 1928 in Orange, California to Dee and Dessie Martin. He was one of 10 children born into that family, five of whom survive him.

Heston is survived by his wife, Lillian Martin, of the home in Red Oak,

one daughter, Claudia Jeffrey and husband, Earl of Wilburton, OK,

one son, Kent Martin and wife, Susan of Ardmore, OK,

three stepchildren, Kathy of Elkhart, Indiana, Sue of Denver Colorado, and Steve of Colorado Sprints, CO,

also 5 grandchildren: Amy Fair and husband Steve of Stillwater, OK,

Stacy Martin of Ardmore, OK, and Tiffany Layton and husband Rowdy of Welch, OK, Lane Jeffrey of Wilburton, and Latt Jeffrey of Wilburton.

He also leaves behind two great-grandchildren, Chrisitan Fair and Aubrey Layton.

He is survived by his mother, Dessie Martin of Community Care Nursing Home in Wilburton who is 100 years old and will be 101 next month.

Two brothers, Lawrence Martin of Garland, Texas, and Joe Martin of Gilbert, Arizona.

Twin sisters, Mazel Prock of Wilburton, and Hazel Cooper of Garland, TX, and Jimmie Bailey of McKinney, TX.

Heston also is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father, Dee Martin in 1967, by an infant twin brother and sister, and by another brother and sister.

After graduating from LeFlore High School he entered the military service:

Navy Service Record:

His military service was with the United States Navy, enlisting on April 2, 1946, and being discharged on July 25, 1947, due to an intra cranial injury received while on the island of Hawaii. He suffered amnesia and was hospitalized at the U.S. Navy Hospital in Mare Island, California for an extended period of time.

In 1949, Heston bought the ranch where he lived until his death. He was a life-long rancher and loved his place and cattle. He worked long and hard and made many sacrifices to improve his ranch and keep the place he loved during difficult times. He was forced to work in Grants, New Mexico for a period of two years to be able to make payments on his place but always looked forward to getting back to Cedars, OK.

He loved his family and his community. He was a member of, and had attended Cedars Church of Christ all the years he lived in Cedars. He enjoyed visiting with both friends and family as do all the Martins. If only one cousin, uncle or any member of the Martin family came to OK for a visit - a family reunion was sure to follow with a lot of visiting going on. Heston and Lillian cared for his mother, Dessie, in their home for two years before they were persuaded to place her in the Community Care Center and she loved living with them at Cedars. Even in his failing health, he always wanted to go to the nursing home as often as he could to see his mother.

Heston also enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow into adults and had expressed to Claudia a couple of years aga that it was his desire to live to see his grandchildren grown. He liked to watch them participate in their various activities and took great pride in their accomplishments. He was extremely happy to be able to see Aubrey and Chrisitan born.

He continued to work around his place even after being diagnosed with a terminal illness in 1995. His neighbors were often called to help assist in some of the situations he got himself into. After trying to burn some brush earlier this Spring and letting the fire get out of control, one of his neighbors remarked to him that he might consider planting some flower beds.

We, his family, appreciate all the help and support that his neighbors in Cedars gave him during these last few years when he became so confused. As his health deteriorated, many of the things he did were both sad and humorous, but we all remain in awe at the strength and determination to live.

Heston and Lillian had been fortunate enough to do some traveling in the last few years and they enjoyed making trips to Florida, California, and Branson, MO.

A TRIBUTE TO MY DAD!

by

Claudia Martin Jeffrey

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun

And the calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of the night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

And when there was nothing more to add,

He knew his masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it "DAD!"

God bless you, Dad.

I love you!!!

In Memory of

HESTON DEE MARTIN

by

Jack Way

To be born in this world is a blessing;

To enjoy good health is a grater blessing;

To be born again is the greatest blessing of all:

To listen to the Lord's gentle call!

Heston was a saint in its purest sense,

And this I will say in his defense.

He made his mistakes from time to time,

But he always repented, saying, "Jesus is mine!"

Heston had a great capacity to love.

His love was great for the Lord above.

He loved his family in a special way.

He loved them the same every day!

The angels arrived a few days ago,

To take him to the home we all know.

"Today you will be with me in Paradise,

Because I died for you and paid the price."

He lived a long time upon this earth,

And it was his faith that demonstrated his worth.

He was precious to you and precious to me;

And he was surely precious to the Holy Three!