Donald Martin Iii

Donald Bruce Martin III, age 78, of Linden, Michigan, passed away on Sunday morning, December 18, 2022, at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Bruce was born in Dayton, Ohio, to Donald Bruce Martin II and Mary Maxine Martin Rohrbough on May 2, 1944. Bruce was the middle of three children: older sister Kay (Martin) Swiger and younger sister Terri (Martin) Buffet. Bruce’s father was an early employee of IBM, so the family moved often during his childhood, including upstate New York; Morgantown, West Virginia; and back to Dayton, Ohio.
When Bruce was 15, his father died suddenly due to a damaged heart caused by childhood rheumatic fever. When his dad passed, he and Bruce were in the process of building a boat in their garage. Bruce completed that project on his own, thus beginning a life-long love of the water.
As a teenager, Bruce would take that boat out with his friends and would waterski on literally anything, including wooden doors and a chair that he attached to skis. Bruce continued waterskiing the rest of his life and was known to slalom well into his late 60’s at his home on Byram Lake in Linden, Michigan.
After graduating from Colonel White High School in Dayton, Ohio, Bruce went to The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. There he met the love of his life, Vicki Sue (Orndoff) Martin, who was attending the Riverside School of Nursing. He finished college at West Virginia University with a BA in Industrial Psychology, then married Vicki on December 30, 1966.
Bruce and Vicki lived briefly in West Virginia and Michigan before settling in Covington, Ohio. There Bruce and Vicki started their family, became active members first of the Covington Presbyterian Church, then of the Covington Church of the Brethren, and made many life-long friends. Bruce was a deacon at the church, served on the Board of Directors of the Covington Savings & Loan, President of the Western Ohio Personnel Association, and played the tuba in the Covington Community Band.
Bruce loved being a dad and a grandpa. He attended every one of his son Bruce’s athletic events and was a Band Booster when Kerri played in the Covington High School Band. He was also a father figure in the lives of many of the neighborhood kids, as well as to his many nieces and nephews.
Bruce also loved animals. He spent his high school summers in Iowa assisting his uncle, a veterinarian, caring for the various farm animals in the region. From his pet rat as a kid, to his granddog Molly, Bruce was fascinated with God’s creatures.
Bruce’s favorite job was as Plant Manager of Stanley Garage Door Openers in Covington. He worked hard to make sure every employee felt valued.  Highly respected, he was invited as an Adjunct Instructor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), teaching courses in Manufacturing Technology.
In 1994, Bruce and Vicki moved to Byrum Lake in Linden, Michigan, to be closer to his children and grandchildren. Dad loved that lake and his neighbors and rarely missed watching the sunset from his porch.
Bruce is survived by his son Donald Bruce (Monica) Martin IV of Clio, Michigan, and daughter Kerri Lyn (Mike) Burba of Farmington Hills, Michigan; grandchildren Jake (Mandy) Martin, Luke (Jordyn) Martin, Emily (Aidan) Taylor, and Meghan Burba; great-grandchildren Benny Martin and Maggie Martin; and sisters Kay (Fred) Swiger, and Terri (Michel) Buffet.
Bruce is reunited in Heaven with his wife, Vicki, who passed away in June 2021, and his parents Donald Bruce Martin II and Maxine Martin Rohrbough.
Bruce will be laid to rest in Ridgelawn Cemetery in Breckenridge, Michigan, next to Vicki. A memorial service will be held at Davison Missionary Church in Davison, Michigan, on Saturday, January 7, at 2:00 pm, with a meal following. Visitation will be at the church from 12:00 - 2:00 pm prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Bruce’s honor to the Michigan Humane Society. Arrangements by Sharp Funeral Homes, Linden Chapel, 209 W. Broad St. Linden, MI 48451. Tributes may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com.