Obituaries

James Chris Martin was born in Marysville Kansas to Howard and Bulah, the youngest son of five boys.  He spent his childhood days in northern Kansas on his parents’ farm, exploring dirt roads, hunting and fishing.   Jim learned the value of hard work from his parents and that carried throughout his entire life. At a very young age, he possessed a deep desire for self reliance and independence and used that to his full advantage as he pursued careers in aviation and home remodeling.  Jim’s tenacity and passion for learning about how all things worked were defining characteristic of his personality.

Jim married his former spouse Nancy Watters and together they had three beautiful children; making their home in Belle Plaine, Kansas.   He immensely enjoyed time with his children, whether it be camping at the lake or playing outside in the pool.  Jim always went out of his way to make sure that his kids were outdoors and had plenty of fun.  His kids all enjoyed learning how to drive his truck in the country, with the added bonus of spending treasured one on one time with their Dad.

Later, Jim met and married Kelly Fisher, together having one daughter, MacKenzie.  He enjoyed encouraging her to spend as much time as possible outside exploring, climbing trees and swimming.  Jim teased that he had the best job of picking Mac up at school because she was always in a good mood (having finished school for the day) and cherished the time they spent talking about her day.  He was so proud of all his children and their individual personalities and talents. Above all, Jim’s calm, neutral demeanor was the driving force which allowed him to serve as the head of his beautiful, perfectly imperfect, blended family.

A talented machinist, Jim furthered his education and soon transitioned to experimental flight test at Boeing, retiring after serving 35 years.  Jim spent the bulk of his career in the aviation defense sector and held a deep respect for both the B-52 Bomber as well as the Aerial Refueling Tanker.  His accomplishments and awards are countless; however Jim considered the relationships he built and friendships he made to be his most valued achievement.  For both Jim and Kelly, their love for Boeing and aviation was significant, and together they relocated from Wichita to Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Chicago pursuing their careers and continuing to make lasting friendships along the way.  In addition to his full time job at Boeing, Jim also had a small home improvement business that kept him busy throughout his entire life.  An avid DIYer, he loved nothing more than to help friends and family with home projects. There was absolutely no piece of equipment or machinery that Jim could not operate with expertise and skill.

Throughout his life and into retirement, Jim loved to travel, and he particularly enjoyed road trips and motorcycle rides with treasured friends.  During retirement, Jim and Kelly visited over 20 National Parks in their small RV (his prized possession) and had the time of their lives making memories together from coast to coast.  It was not unusual for Jim to slip out of the house on a Sunday morning and take off on his bike, the soft sound of the engine pulling out of the driveway.  He absolutely loved a good cheeseburger and was always on a mission to find a good burger dive.  In Jim’s opinion, the best way to end the day was with an ice cream treat and his sweet smile was worth all the extra calories.  Jim will forever be remembered as our kind, slightly grumpy, fiercely supportive, cool dude, super-hero Dad.

Jim is survived by his wife, Kelly and his children Tiffany, Jamie, Tage and MacKenzie, son in law David, and grandson Levi.  Jim is also survived by three of his brothers, Steve Martin(Nancy), Ted Martin(Ginger), and Bill Martin, sister-in-law Becky Shivers(Mark), and brother-in-law Doug Fisher(Jodi), mother in law Barbara Fisher, as well as countless nieces and nephews of whom he loved dearly.

Jim is preceded in death by his mother and father, Howard and Bulah Martin, and his beloved brother, Monte Martin.

A Celebration of Life for Jim will be held at 2:00 pm on May 15th at the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita, Kansas, address 3350 South George Washington Blvd.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the museum in memory of Jim.

The family would like to express their deep gratitude to the incredible staff at Northwestern Medicine Oncology and Cardiology groups and VITAS Hospice for their outstanding care.  The family would also like to extend their thanks to the close family and friends that provided emotional and physical nourishment throughout the final year of Jim’s life.

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