Earl Wilber Martin

Earl is survived by his wife Jody; children: Valerie (Stephen), Dana (Phyllis), Deborah, Susan, Patricia, and Pamela (Jan); children-by-marriage: Patricia (Joeseph), Grant (Gayle), and Annette; as well as 11 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by parents Alton and Ruth Martin, and brothers Gerald (Sherry), Robert, and Richard.

Earl was an avid, life-long, model railroader who built and operated trains on extensive HO and garden railroad layouts, including The Railroad at Maple Rock in Newcastle, CA. He enjoyed attending model railroad clubs and events; published several articles in model railroading magazines; and designed and built numerous railroad cars, engines, buildings, and structures. Earl was also the weekend engineer on the one-third-scale passenger train in Burke Lake Park in Northern Virginia.

His other hobbies and interests included cycling; skiing; hiking; fishing; boating; flying gliders; golf; photography; history; and travel. He loved spending time with family and in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where he grew up.

Earl was a graduate of San Jose State and majored in Engineering. His early career included pioneering work on Lockheed’s Super Constellation aircraft which was used by both early passenger carriers and the military. He later worked as a Systems Analyst for the military, the Association of American Railroads, and companies such as Booz-Allen before starting his own successful computer business.