Tc Martin

TC was born in Collins, Mississippi on April 22, 1946, to the late J.B. and Katie Martin. In the early 70s, he relocated to Erie, Pennsylvania with his first wife, Andustus Martin. He went on to marry Lena Deboe Martin in 1999.

He worked for Conrail and retired after 32 years of service. When he wasn’t working he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He was, undoubtedly, the Cleveland Browns’ #1 fan, and he could often be seen sporting Browns gear and ball caps.  

At any given time of the day, he could be spotted with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, cracking jokes, and talking about an array of random things to anyone who would listen. He never met a stranger and could always be overheard saying, “Hey, dude!” or “Hey, kid!” among his children and grandchildren. Both him and Dottie had a reputation for being genuinely friendly and warmly welcoming where friends and family often visited. TC was family-oriented as well as generous, and he was always willing to help those in need.

On September 1, 2019, after years of vowing never to fly in an airplane, TC bravely flew for the first time and journeyed to Georgia to be with his daughters and granddaughters.

TC was preceded in death by his wife Lena Deboe Martin along with several sister-n-laws and brother-n-laws. He leaves behind a legacy of love and memories for his two sisters Hattie Madison (Grey) and Ella Marshall (Ezekiel). A legacy of love, laughter, and fond memories of TC will remain with his children: Saundra T. Martin, Tiffany Martin-Stringer (Dana), Andrea “Mice” Porter (Ty), Kimberly Martin (Marty), Joe Deboe (Shana), Tonya Thomas(Shannon), and Rodney Thomas. He also leaves his grandchildren whom he adored and lived for:  Ania Kaye Martin, Tanasha Hammond, Shania Martin, Kiara Martin, Lavon Martin (Diana), Tyisha Moss (Hardin), Tyrone Porter, Tyandra Porter, and Tyvae Porter, Marques Martin, Marshall Martin, La’trice Martin, Donovan DeBoe, Melena DeBoe, Shakara Hunter, Elijah Thomas, Keisha Thomas, Michael Farrell and Brittany Farrell.

Special thanks to his cousin, Albert “Lee” Barnes and nephew Charlie Tate, for supporting him with travel to many of his medical appointments. Heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Etta Pulliam, who was his companion for the last two years and remained loving and supportive through his illness. A special gratitude of thanks is to be noted for Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA for prolonging his life.

There are no words to express the loss of our dad. Deepest thanks to each and every one of you for the love, support, and prayers.