1935
James
2016
James "Tom" Thomas Martin
January 17, 1935 — April 7, 2016
Born in Jemison, Alabama in 1935, James Thomas Martin – Tom to his friends – moved to Cobb County, Georgia in 1964 to work for Lockheed Aircraft, a job he held until his retirement in 2000. He married his wife Joyce in 1966, and they had a daughter, Michelle in 1978.
Though he worked for Lockheed for 36 years, working his way up from machinist to tool planner, his two great passions were teaching the Bible and writing. Tom taught various Sunday School classes from the late 60’s onward, at Mt. Zion Baptist church and later Macland Baptist Church, until his poor health forced him to retire. He also spent twenty-five years as the Vacation Bible School director at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, organizing all aspects of the week-long summer Bible study.
Tom discovered his love of writing in the 90’s, when he wrote the novella The Game Ball, the autobiographical story of a group of boys trying to organize a baseball team in 1948 Alabama. This would lead to his longest work, The Pump Organ (1999, self published), the story of his maternal grandparents, Lorenzo and Eunice Cobb, and their struggles to raise seven children in rural Alabama from 1919 to the outbreak of World War II. He authored various other works, including comic short stories about his everyday life as well educational pieces that explain Biblical passages and concepts in easy-to-understand language.
In his spare time, Tom also enjoyed surf fishing, bird-watching, and gardening.
Tom passed away on April 7, 2016 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Joyce and his daughter Michelle, both of Powder Springs, Georgia. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Though he worked for Lockheed for 36 years, working his way up from machinist to tool planner, his two great passions were teaching the Bible and writing. Tom taught various Sunday School classes from the late 60’s onward, at Mt. Zion Baptist church and later Macland Baptist Church, until his poor health forced him to retire. He also spent twenty-five years as the Vacation Bible School director at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, organizing all aspects of the week-long summer Bible study.
Tom discovered his love of writing in the 90’s, when he wrote the novella The Game Ball, the autobiographical story of a group of boys trying to organize a baseball team in 1948 Alabama. This would lead to his longest work, The Pump Organ (1999, self published), the story of his maternal grandparents, Lorenzo and Eunice Cobb, and their struggles to raise seven children in rural Alabama from 1919 to the outbreak of World War II. He authored various other works, including comic short stories about his everyday life as well educational pieces that explain Biblical passages and concepts in easy-to-understand language.
In his spare time, Tom also enjoyed surf fishing, bird-watching, and gardening.
Tom passed away on April 7, 2016 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Joyce and his daughter Michelle, both of Powder Springs, Georgia. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
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