Robert A. Martin
January 6, 2009


Age 72, of Brighton, Michigan and formerly of Northville, passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2009. Bob was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) in January 2008. During his retirement, Bob spent most of his time with his wife, family and friends, doing what he liked best — cycling, golfing, playing tennis, and traveling. Their condo on Hilton Head Island was a frequent destination - which fit well with those interests. He was born December 7, 1936 in Ecorse, Michigan to Joe and Mary Martin. He grew up in Wyandotte and Southgate graduating from Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1954) and the University of Detroit. Bob resided for 32 years in Northville, Michigan. A mechanical engineer, he retired in 1996 after working for more than 30 years with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn. He enjoyed traveling, tennis, golf and biking with his loving wife of 46 years, Dorothy Tarnowski. Bob had been a member of The Knights of Columbus and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He attended Our Lady of Victory Church in Northville prior to moving to Brighton. He and his wife most recently attended St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Brighton. Bob is survived by his wife Dorothy, his daughter Cindy and son-in-law Dave Dean, his three sons, son David and daughter-in-law Liz, son Rob and daughter-in-law Laura, and son Doug Martin. Bob and Dorothy have three grandchildren, Branden and Trevor Dean and Ian Martin. He is also survived by his brother Alfred of Saline and his sister Marian of Flat Rock. Visitation will be Tuesday, January 6 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Herrmann Funeral Home located at 600 E. Main Street in Brighton, Michigan. Phone: (810) 229-2905. A funeral mass and lunch will be held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church located at 711 Rickett Road in Brighton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ALS Foundation (www.alsa.org) or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org).