Jess Henry Rodgers Martindale

Jess grew up mostly in south Florida, and received a GED from the state of Florida.

After high school Jess joined the Army in 1963 and served his country honorably. His bravery during his time in Korea and West Germany earned him the Bronze Star, and many other honors and awards while in the Army. He retired from the Army as Master Sargent.

Jess married Nancy Thomas in 1963. Empathic and loyal, Jess was committed to making his new family happy. Jess worked hard to be a good father to his children and he did his best to fulfill their needs. Jess was blessed with three children, Jess, Stephen, and David.

Jess also served as the Fire Marshall for Green Oak Township for 18 years. He started as a Volunteer Firefighter and retired as the fire marshal. He was also served as the interim

Chief.

When Jess wasn’t serving his community, he enjoyed traveling to Europe & Switzerland, exploring the many museums and volksmarching around Europe with his family. He also enjoyed the great outdoors and could often be found in nature hunting, fishing, or enjoying the serenity of his own back yard while mowing the grass. He and Nancy were the best of friends and enjoyed belly dancing together, traveling around the United States on their motorcycles, and exploring the many castles they came across on their adventures. Jess enjoyed photography and loved to lighten the mood with a well-timed joke. He loved putting smiles on his children faces by wowing them with his magic shows after and seeing whose slot car would be the fastest. His children remember him as a father who always wanted to play and explore with them.

Jess is survived by his wife, Nancy Jane Martindale; his son Jess Martindale (Wanda); and his son Stephen Martindale (Cheryl); his grandchild Jess III, his grandchild Christina (Nick), his grandchild Mikey, his grandchild Jessica, his great grandchild Oliva, his great grandchild Madilyn, his great grandchild Casey, his great grandchild Marcus, his great grandchild Jess Henry, his great grandchild Zachary, his great grandchild Emma, his great grandchild Sophia and his great grandchild Jackson.

Jess was preceded in death by his son David Martindale; his father Edward Glenn Martindale; his mother Zella Leota Martindale; his grandchild Ronald (Nicole); and his daughter in law Wanda.

A gathering of family and friends for Jess will be held Monday, June 19, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. A military honors will occur Monday, June 19, 2023 at 6:00 PM, 403 S 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. A celebration of life will occur Monday, June 19, 2023 from 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM, 403 S 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jess' memory may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida US, https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org; and Michigan Humane, 30300 Telegraph Road Suite 220, Bingham Farms, Michigan US, https://www.michiganhumane.org/donatenow/.