Martin Thomas Kavanaugh II

Marty was the son of the late Martin and Nell Kavanaugh of Cincinnati, Ohio. Marty is also preceded in death by his brother Thomas, nephew Anthony Capozzolo, Jr, sister Patricia Capozzolo and brother-in-law Anthony Capozzolo Sr.

Marty was also a loving brother to Kathleen Schaefer, brother-in-law to Allen; grandfather to Kyle, Jenna, Bridget, Nicolette, Regina, Sebastian, and Josephine; father-in-law to Mark Trout, Peter Ruggirello, and Jacqueline Kavanaugh; and uncle to Joseph Capozzolo, Angela Pendleton, and Shaun Schaefer.

A second-generation PGA golf professional, Marty’s golf career spanned 69 years, when he started caddying at the age of nine. Marty earned a degree in Business Administration and Social Sciences from Miami Dade Community College, and also graduated from the Professional Golfers’ Association Business School, attaining PGA Class A status in 1968. He served as head golf professional at the Hamilton County Park District’s Miami Whitewater Golf Course and also at Winton Woods before being named the park district’s Manager of Golf in 1981. Marty oversaw the design and construction of the park district’s premier course, The Vineyard, which opened in 1986. Marty’s junior golf programs, including the inner-city “Outreach” program, won national recognition. Marty’s success at operating efficient, profitable golf facilities won him consulting contracts with the U.S. Air Force and eventually a position as Senior Director of PGA Golf Properties with the PGA of America in 1994.

At the PGA, Marty helped design and oversee the building of the PGA Golf Club at the Reserve in Port St. Lucie, Florida, a facility which he strove to be a world-class golf experience for the public golfer, as well as a worthy home course for his brother professionals. He also was responsible for the concepts and development of the PGA Learning Center, PGA Education Center, and the PGA Historical Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Marty served on the PGA’s national Board of Directors representing the Southern Ohio Section, achieved the PGA’s highest membership classification of Master Professional, received the Association’s national Bill Strausbaugh Award, was the PGA’s Golf Professional of the Year in 1992, and was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also Curator and Archivist for the PGA and was a PGA of America Historian.

Marty embraced the opportunity to serve his residential community until shortly before his passing by helping create and execute a master plan for long term sustainability of their golf course.

Along with Marty’s dedication to promoting the game of golf and to helping his brother professionals, Marty was a loving and devoted husband of 56 years to his beloved Diana; and father to Mary (Trout), Peggy (Ruggirello), and Martin III, “Matt”. He was a spontaneously fun, wise, and selfless father. We remember fondly family boxing matches, Sunday lectures, midnight walks in the snow, and his epic Elvis-style dance moves. He inherited his mother’s sense of humor, and anyone who knew Marty surely remembers him doubled-over in laughter, red-faced, crying from one of his own quick-witted remarks.

Marty’s most treasured legacy is his complete trust in God’s Divine Will for his life, witnessed by his patient suffering, united to Jesus to win graces for souls.

The family would like to thank Treasure Coast Hospice and Evergreen Private Care for their tender loving care for us all.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 10, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Aycock-Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center, 1112 Military Trail, Jupiter, FL 33458.

A Mass of Christian Burial will occur on Monday, November 11, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St Jude Catholic Church, 204 North US Highway 1, Tequesta, FL.

An additional Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday November 18, 2024 at 10am at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 48 W. Sharon Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45246.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the World Villages for Children, 4200 Parliament Pl #230, Lanham, MD 20706. web: worldvillages.org