George Lynwood Martin

George was born July 27, 1950 in Tempe, Arizona to John Henry and Sudie Mae (Lee) Martin. He graduated from Pine Forest High School, "The Rebels", in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1968.

George proudly served in the US Navy from 1968-1972, where he attended aviation electrical school. He was in Attack Squadron TWELVE, the Flying Ubangis, known as the Kiss of Death by him and his fellow crew members. He was proud of his work and world travel on the aircraft carriers USS Shangri-La and USS Independence.

After George was honorably discharged from the Navy, he went on to work in Fayetteville, NC. It was in Fayetteville that he met and married the love of his life, Jennifer Ann Goembel, on December 16, 1973. In June of 1974, they moved to Odessa where he began working as a welder. He became a highly knowledgeable and sought after Rig Mechanic. He worked at Texas Flange until the end of 1989. George immediately went on to work at D&H Rig Service as shop manager and rig mechanic until early 2016.

George discovered a love of hunting in Texas that never left him. He spent many extended weekends at his sister and brother-in-law’s ranch south of Sweetwater, and in later years took his son, son-in-law and grandson. For several years he acted as a hunting guide for his brother-in-law and boss Ed Davis’s customers from south Texas and south Louisiana. George knew the ranch like the back of his hand and could likely tell you where he was for every deer he ever shot, many of which are now proudly displayed on the walls of his den. His son-in-law, who shares his love of the ranch, refers to him as the deer whisperer.

In 2007 George was fortunate enough to purchase his dream bay boat and had several memorable lake trips with his wife Jenny, kids and grandkids around Texas and south Louisiana. Watching his family share his love of boating and fishing brought him great joy. He also enjoyed several trips to south Louisiana over the past 30 years, visiting and fishing with his daughter and son-in-law as well as former customers who became long-time friends.

He grew up in the era of “classic” rock, had an extensive record collection, and had a love of all types of music. He enjoyed watching is son-in-law’s musical career as a guitar player grow and looked forward to every opportunity he had to watch him play in Texas and Louisiana. George loved his family, loved his country, and he LOVED Fox News!

George is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jenny, daughters Maggie (Justin) Lewis of Lafayette, LA, and Gretchen (Justin) Fischer of Midland, TX, son Cody Martin of Odessa, TX; grandchildren Kaitlyn & Jacob Fischer and JP & Grayson Lewis; brother Gary (Linda) Martin of Big Spring, TX, sister, Susan Martin of Raleigh, NC, brother-in-law Ellis O’Briant of Fayetteville, NC, and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brother David Martin, sisters Barbara O’Briant and Johnnye Davis, brother-in-law Ed Davis, sister-in-law Norma Martin, nephews Paul Davis and Ray Davis, and nieces Cindy Wilson and Mimi Cranfill.

Honorary pallbearers are Cody Martin, Justin Lewis, Justin Fischer, Jacob Fischer, Craig Enright, Craig “Bubba” Enright Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that you consider making a memorial donation in George’s honor to a Veteran’s charity of your choice.

A visitation for George will be held Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM at Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors, 4635 Oakwood Dr, Odessa, Texas 79761. The family will have a memorial at his favorite hunting spot at a later date.

The family would like to thank Frank W. Wilson Funeral Home and Director and the 7th floor nursing staff and entire Critical Care Unit team at Medical Center Hospital. Thank you also to all of our family and friends for their continued love, support and prayers.