Richard "Dick" Lee Martin

Richard "Dick" Lee Martin, age 83, a long-time resident of Shelby, died August 17, 2022.

Born April 30, 1939 in New Boston, Ohio to Paul and Hazel (Gayhart) Martin, he was a 1956 graduate of Glenwood High School. He received his B.S. degree in biology from Ohio University and his M.S. degree in freshwater fishery biology from Ohio State University. Mr. Martin taught at Lodi High School, Ernest E. Root High School in North Royalton, but spent most of his career teaching Biology at Shelby High School (1966-1990).

Known by many students and friends as a colorful storyteller, he retold stories of his time as a young man working in Washington DC for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as a guard in an Ohio prison, as a graduate student at OSU’s Stone Lab on South Bass Island, survivor of a small plane crash, and as a much loved biology teacher with terrariums of snakes and other creatures that lined his classroom ( and would occasionally find their way into the hallways of Shelby Senior High. ) Back to school was a favorite time to fill the fish tanks with local fish and wildlife, and of course was the start of hunting season each year, which would take him into the fields and forests of central Ohio.

He shared his vast knowledge of biology with students and his devoted readers through his weekly “Outdoors with Martin” columns and numerous magazine articles and books. Dick began writing in 1963 and wrote for many newspapers, local, regional and national, including the Mansfield News Journal and the Daily Globe. He was a member and won many awards for his writing from the Outdoor Writers of Ohio and the Outdoor Writers Association of America. His upbringing in the hills of southern Ohio and love for the stories of the Ohio Indians led him to write a novel called Flying Hawk which was researched through his lifetime curiosity with the outdoors.
He was also a member of the F&AM #350 and a 32 degree Mason.

Dick leaves behind his wife, Jane (Weaver) Martin; one son and daughter-in-law, Scott Allen Martin and Rosa Montero of Madrid, Spain; one daughter and son-in-law, Gillian Sue and Damian Mehers of Switzerland; two grandchildren, Atticus and Theodore Mehers; two sisters, Judith Keller of Cincinnati and Carolyn Collins of West Portsmouth; nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Graveside services will be held at the Friendship Cemetery in Portsmouth. In lieu of flowers, take a walk in the forest or go fishing, Dick loved to inspire young and old to enjoy the many wonderful things the outdoors has to offer us.

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