Ervin Martin

Ervin Paul Martin (January 12, 1947-March 28, 2019)

Ervin Paul Martin from Portland, Oregon, born January 12, 1947, passed away in Key Largo with his family at the age of 72, on Thursday March 28, 2019. He is survived by his daughter Paula Fede, his son Eric Martin, 4 grandchildren, brother Lonnie Martin, and sister Sharon Martin.

He was a highly decorated Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran who achieved, to name a few, 5 purple hearts and the prestigious silver star medal. He was a US Marshal in San Francisco, CA where he met his late wife, Janice Brown. He was the Director of Emergency Services for the State of Alaska and headed the clean-up efforts in the famous Exxon Valdez oil Spill of 1989.  He moved to Mississippi in 1995 and received his PhD of Philosophy in Human and Organizational Systems from the Fielding Institute of Santa Barbara, California.  He taught at Belhaven University for the business department, where he developed academic curriculums for both public administration and criminal justice.

His reputation as a professor proceeded him.  He believed in the pursuit of knowledge. He was one of the most unique professors and left a lasting impression with everyone he met from the grocery clerk, to his students, to his family. He would refer to everyone he met as “brother” and “sister”. He was unpredictable, kept you on your toes because you never quite knew how he would respond. He had a wonderful sense of humor and knew how to make people laugh.

He was a protector and a provider to his family. His family could depend on him when they needed him and knew they could always count on him to get things done. He never sweat the “small stuff.” His kids remember him as a god-fearing man and also had the ability to put the “fear of God” in you when you got out of line. He had a strong relationship with God and was strong in his Christian faith. He was fearless in all things and loved expressing his opinions about life, philosophy, and politics.

He lived one of the most exciting and interesting lives that few have the privilege to say they lived. He enjoyed spending his last days in the Florida Keys, living in “paradise” each of his retirement days in relaxation building puzzles and reading his books. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues. A memorial service will be held in Mississippi at a future date, to be announced.