Paul Martin

Paul LaMar Martin, 92, passed away in his Las Vegas home on April 26, 2021, after a long and vibrant life. He was born on July 24, 1928, in Scipio, Utah, and was the fourth of seven children born to Cecil J Martin and Beatrice Elizabeth Quarnberg Martin. During Paul’s youth, he gained the work ethic that would direct the rest of his life as he performed the many daily chores that are part of growing up on a farm. He grew up active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following the example of his oldest brother, Paul answered the call to serve a mission in July 1948, which sent him to the Central Atlantic States Mission. When he returned home in 1950, he answered another call from the US Army to serve in the military. During the Korean Conflict he was stationed at the Nevada Test Site tasked with chasing fallout during the Atomic Bomb testing. After being present for the above ground test, his company followed the atomic cloud from Las Vegas north to Glendale and into Arizona & Utah, tracking radiation levels from the fallout. Paul was the last surviving member of the 216th Chemical Company. Following his time in the service, he moved to Provo Utah where he sought out a longtime acquaintance from Salina Utah, now at BYU, Donna Fay Rasmussen. They were married on October 5, 1953, in the Manti Temple. With help from his beloved sweetheart, he graduated from BYU in June 1957 and achieved his goal of working for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Church Education Department (CES). His work with CES required continuing education which led him to achieving his master’s degree from BYU in May of 1967. After 36 years with the Church Education Department, Paul retired in August of 1993. Throughout his CES service, he always shared his testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ through his actions and words with high school and college students. Beyond his work with CES, Paul also served others in many church callings throughout his life, including continuing his missionary work as a Seventy in the Grainger Utah Stake. Paul and his wife, Donna, have lived the last 51 years as members of the Greenbriar ward in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they raised their family and grew to love the wonderful people of Las Vegas. His legacy has been that of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all who crossed his path, especially his family. He also always shared his firm belief in the importance of education with his posterity, because of the blessing education was in his life. Paul is survived by his wife Donna Fay Martin, sons LaMar Kay Martin, Boyd David Martin, daughter Paula Fay Martin Mitchell, and son John Eric Martin. He was preceded in death by his daughter Michelle Martin Carpenter, his Mother & Father, and brother Max and sister Donna. Each of the children married. Paul and Donna are proud of their sixteen grandchildren and twenty-seven great-grandchildren and love them and their families so much. Graveside services with military honors accorded by the Salina American Legion Post #36 and The Utah Honor Guard will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday May 1, 2021 in the Salina Eastside Cemetery. Friends may call for viewing from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 A.M. at the Springer Turner Funeral Home, 150 East Main, Salina.