Albert F. Martin, M.D. passed away peacefully from complications due to cancer during the evening of April 30, 2015, at his home in St. George, Utah. Known to his family and friends as Al, or "Bones" (in reference to his life's work as an orthopedic surgeon), he lived a full and happy life, always close to his beloved wife of 60 years, Carol Louise Woods Martin. Bones was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on January 22, 1930; and as he grew, the joys of childhood were tempered by an early family tragedy and the difficult years between the Great Depression and the United States' entry into World War II. He was the 4th child of Lana Fern Taylor Martin and Albert Frank Martin. During his grade-school years he rode an old mare named Topsy to a one-room schoolhouse each day. He worked long, hard hours from the age of 12 in "dry" farming, which he later would recall was "the type of farming that uses no irrigation, so the wind and dust permeate everything, even your underwear." While still a boy, when he wasn't working, he gained exposure to several pursuits that would become lifelong passions: flying (both full-size airplanes and radio-controlled model aircraft); shooting; fly fishing; and golf. During his high-school years he owned a hobby shop in which he sold model airplanes. The shop became the after-school gathering place. Also in high school, he played varsity football and basketball and ran track; and at graduation, he won the Ronny Harris Achievement Award for excellence in both scholarship and athletics. He made his first solo flight in a Piper monoplane on his 16th birthday. The plane's owner, a local physician, took an interest in Al and encouraged him to pursue a career in medicine; and in 1948, Al went off to school at Northwestern University--becoming the first member of his family to attend college. He earned top marks there while still finding time to affiliate with Sigma Chi fraternity and to graduate with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, with highest honors, in only 3 years. His next stop was Northwestern Medical School, where he also excelled academically. On a fateful day in the fall, 1954, while on his way back to school, he met Carol Woods at Jack's Chicken Inn in Idaho Falls; and he knew his life would never be the same. "I was smitten," he later wrote; and after only four dates he proposed to her. He skipped his medical school graduation ceremony (where he was elected to membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society) in order to be married to Carol instead, on that same day, June 24, 1955. The newlyweds then moved to San Francisco for his internship at San Francisco County Hospital. After additional residencies and fellowships in Chicago, Oakland and Salt Lake City, Al and Carol moved to the San Diego area where Al became a full-fledged orthopedic surgeon at Balboa Naval Hospital (this, while serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Naval Reserve). In 1962, the couple moved to Carol's hometown of Salt Lake City, and Bones continued his career in orthopedics as a surgeon at St. Mark's Hospital, Shriners Children's Hospital and West Valley (later Pioneer Valley) Hospital. Bones loved helping children, and he regularly donated his surgical skills on a pro bono basis to those most in need. He continued his surgical practice in Salt Lake City for a total of 33 years, retiring in 1995. Al was a man's man; but it always seemed fitting that each of his five children was a daughter: Martha Louise, Carol Jane, Virginia Fern, Elizabeth Ann, and Brenda June. He cherished his girls, and they loved him well--learning from his example that excellence is its own reward. He loved aerobatic flying, and he regularly took his girls along for the ride. When he won Utah and American skeet-shooting championships, they shared in his victories. He, in turn, learned from his girls; and in 1983, at the age of 53, he joined the LDS Church and was later sealed to his beloved family in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. We are moved to tears by our separation from you, yet we are comforted by the promise that God shall wipe away all our tears and make all things new again. God bless you and keep you until that glorious day. Albert F. Martin is survived by his dear wife, Carol Martin, and five daughters: Martha Egan (Bob); CJ Theobald (Scott); Virginia Whitby (Von); Elizabeth Sorensen (Doug); and Brenda Nibley (Bill). Also survived by 18 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his parents, and his siblings: Ernest, Robert, and Martha Campbell Lane. There will be a viewing from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Friday, May 8, 2015, at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106. Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 9, 2015, at 12:00 pm, at The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Valley View 6th Ward, 2000 East 3820 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84124. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.wasatchlawn.com.

Published in The Spectrum & Daily News from May 6 to May 7, 2015