Funeral Services for Minister Donald Patton Martin will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in the Chapel of Rush Funeral Home, Pineville, with Joseph Huff officiating. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Dry Prong Cemetery, Dry Prong, under the direction of Rush Funeral Home.
Don Martin, 81, of Dry Prong, entered eternal rest on the afternoon of September 1, 2026.
Don Martin was a devoted husband, and a loving and cherished father and grandfather. He was a man who was deeply committed to his faith and family. He especially enjoyed his lake house, enjoying nature, driving his Camaro, indulging his sweet tooth, joking and laughing with his grandchildren, but his greatest love was the Word of God.
Don would have celebrated fifty-eight years of marriage to the true love of his life, Mary Janice Martin, on December 28, 2026. His two daughters were among his proudest accomplishments, and his grandkids were some of his greatest joys. He adored his grandchildren and found immense joy whenever he was surrounded by them. They lovingly called him “Papaw,” a name that will forever carry the warmth and love that he shared with them so often.
A dedicated minister, he gave 61 years of his life to serving God and reaching people across the country. Beginning his ministry in the early 1960s, he preached in Pineland, Texas; Lufkin, Texas; Owensboro, Kentucky; Clute, Texas; Centerville, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Dry Prong, Louisiana. His love for ministry and his unwavering commitment to his faith remained a defining part of his life until the very end. He proudly preached his final sermon on Sunday, August 16, 2026, just two weeks before his passing, a fitting final testament to a life so devoted.
Don was surrounded by love in his final moments by people who loved him so dearly, his wife, Mary, his two daughters, Carrie and Melanie, and granddaughter, Sophie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ellis Jackson Martin and Marie Green Culpepper.
Those left to mourn his passing include his loving wife of nearly sixty years, Mary Janice Martin of Dry Prong, Louisiana; two daughters, Carrie Tapia (Charles) of Broomfield, Colorado, and Melanie Martin of Denver, Colorado; five grandchildren, Aaron Green, Rick Green, Ashleigh Bashor, Sophie Bashor, and Trevor Bashor; his sister, Rhonda Ward; and many nieces, nephews, and close friends.
Honored to serve as pallbearers are Trevor Bashor, Charles Tapia, Jethro Hughes, William Dean, Mark Huff, and Benjamin Nettles.