Dylan Ray Martin

Dylan Ray Martin, born on June 24, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Anthony and Kristi Martin (Richins), passed away at age 20 the evening of February 26, 2018. Dylan graduated from Rancho High School, where he was a member of the JROTC and Armed Drill Team. He had recently sworn into the Army and was awaiting basic training. Dylan was preceded in death by his grandfather, Kenneth Martin. He is survived by his grandmothers, Patricia Martin (Collins) and Jean Richins (Waggoner); grandfather, Ren Richins; many loving aunts, uncles and cousins; and a close, caring extended family. He had many hobbies including hiking, camping, off-roading, and continuously working on his truck and helping others with theirs or anything else they needed. He was a devoted member of Las Vegas Dezert Junkies, who have shown copious amounts of support during this heartbreaking time. Dylan was one of a kind; a loving, funny, charismatic, dependable, authentic and intelligent young man, to name only a few of his admirable qualities. He was everyone’s best friend. He was the best son we could ask for and will forever be in our hearts and on our minds. We miss you so much, Dylan.

“Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often.” That is what Dylan Ray Martin believed about life. He was everyone’s best friend and loved to make others laugh. He had a very caring and adventurous spirit, with his eyes set on an exciting future. Dylan was a person who believed that he could achieve whatever he set out to do. He was kind and confident and everyone was drawn to him. He could lighten any room with his dashing smile and genuine laugh.

Dylan was born on June 24, 1997, at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. His parents were Anthony (Tony) and Kristi Martin. Even as a child, Dylan showed ingenuity and intelligence. When he was confronted with a problem, he could always develop an imaginative solution. As a young boy, Dylan could be found building and inventing new and different things, or taking something apart to see how it worked. He was curious, resourceful and interested in anything original. In his spare time, he liked to play with Legos, board games, go camping, play video games, and enjoyed spending time with his family and dogs. He also took part in a youth baseball league as his team’s catcher.

Dylan graduated from Rancho High School in 2015, his dad’s alma mater. His favorite class in high school was Air Force JROTC. One of Dylan's most memorable achievements was being in the school’s award-winning JROTC Armed Drill Team. He was also part of the JROTC Color Guard for a few years. Although the class was difficult, Dylan enjoyed learning Russian at school and trying to teach his mom how to say various words and sayings…with some success.

Dylan was a unique, lighthearted person who was willing to try new things. These qualities drew a lively circle of friends around him. Always interested in his friends’ activities and interests, he was uncritical of his acquaintances. Dylan's humor and curiosity was contagious for those around him. While growing up, some of his best friends were Christian, Jake and Dillon. He was also extremely close to his cousins, Jonathon and Janelle.

Dylan's primary occupation was in food service, but his dream, even as a child, was to be a pilot in the United States Air Force. He had not given up on that dream. He received an extremely high score on his ASVAB test and to begin his journey, he was recently sworn into the Army and was waiting for basic training to start. A few of Dylan's most recent, favorite pursuits or interests were camping, hiking, off-roading, trucks and exotic vehicles. He was an active member of the Las Vegas Dezert Junkies, a truck club with members who became some of his closest friends. Dylan also enjoyed drawing, which may be a surprise to many. He created beautiful art, much of which he readily gave away.

Dylan was a dog lover. He absolutely adored playing with and teasing Jack, a huge, loveable German mastiff/boxer mix; and Scarlet, a pit mix he picked out at a rescue event and named after one of his favorite actresses. He missed the family’s precious pit bull, Kia, dearly, as she had recently passed away, as well as Jasmine, a German Shepard who was by his side as they both grew up. Dylan loved them all and they were a part of the family. He also had an aquatic musk turtle named Stinky and a large iguana, which he named Lenny after a character in one of his favorite books, Of Mice and Men.

Dylan passed away the evening of February 26, 2018. He was recently preceded in death by his grandfather, Kenneth Martin. He is survived by his grandmothers, Patricia Martin (Collins) and Jean Richins (Waggoner); grandfather, Ren Richins; many loving aunts, uncles and cousins; and a close, caring extended family. Services were held at Palm Northwest Mortuary in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During his lifetime, nothing appeared impossible to Dylan. He met the words “it can’t be done” with the enthusiastic challenge of a “wanna bet” attitude. Dylan was able to recognize the possibilities a new idea held, even when those around him could not. For Dylan, the traditional way of doing things fell short of his expectations. He was funny, kind, outgoing, and confident. For Dylan Martin, the fun of living his life could be found in the challenge.