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Perkinsville, VT – David Smith Martin, 88, died at his home Sunday, March 10, 2024, after a blessedly short battle with cancer.

David was born March 1, 1936, in Hollywood, CA, a son of Jesse and Frances (Smith) Martin. He grew up in North Hollywood, losing his mother at the tender age of 9, then went on to endure the loss of his father at age 16. After the death of his father, David crossed paths with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Through the support of his newfound church community, he was able to go on a mission to the New England states, where he spent two years sharing the LDS gospel and its teachings. While David was in Maine, in the early days of his mission, he met Phyllis Hall. They remained in contact while David completed his mission, and Phyllis later moved to California where they married and started a family in North Hollywood. In 1969, as their family grew, David and his young family moved to Santa Ana where they lived until 1980 when the family made their way back east to Allenstown, NH. David and Phyllis dissolved their marriage in 1995, but they maintained a close relationship with each other and their five children.

Throughout his early adult life, David worked as a General Motors parts clerk, eventually moving up the ranks to Parts Manager for Connell Chevrolet in Costa Mesa, CA. David continued his career in GM parts after moving to New Hampshire, taking up the position of Parts Manager at Banks Chevrolet in Concord, NH. He continued to work in the automotive parts industry into the 1990s, then went on to work at Beehive Computers in Concord, a job he enjoyed immensely. Upon retiring from full-time work, David served as a part-time maintenance coordinator for the LDS church, first in Concord NH, then later in Ascutney, Vermont.

David met Ruth (Crandall) Hathaway in 1996 on a trip he had organized for members of the church to visit the LDS temple in Maryland. While traveling on the bus, he needed a place to sit, and Ruth invited him to take the seat next to her. From then on, David and Ruth became dedicated to each other and the strengthening of their bond.

David and Ruth were married on December 12, 1998, and they lived in Concord, NH for several years. After Ruth retired from her full-time nursing career in 2004, they felt a calling to serve their LDS brethren by traveling to Aroura, Colorado to complete a two-year mission.  Upon their return to New England in 2006, David and Ruth made their home in Amsden, VT, but eventually settled in Perkinsville, VT in a home built by Ruth's dad when she was young. David was at his happiest in this modest home, and he took great pride in stacking wood for the winter, taking care of their dogs, and maintaining the family property. Over their many years together, he often referred to Ruth as "the love of his life."

David was an avid genealogy enthusiast, spending a great deal of time and effort tracing family lines and documenting the history of his ancestors. As a young boy, and into his adulthood, he enjoyed working on cars and tinkering with machinery. David was very patriotic and loved his country, having proudly served in the US Army Reserves in his early twenties. He had a special place in his heart for dogs, especially his current pets, Ernie and Olive, and his beloved late pets, Sandy, a Golden Retriever, and Cody, a small mixed-breed rescue.

David is preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Sheldon Martin, and sister-in-law, Lowell; a sister, Diana (Martin) Silveira; and a stepson, Win Hathaway. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Martin, of Perkinsville; five daughters – Joyce M. Martin and her partner, Tina Dandurand, of Canterbury, NH; Karen B. Martin-Brown and her wife, Patricia, of Dover, NH; Lynda J. Martin-Heaney and her husband, Edward Heaney, of Loudon, NH; Michelle S. Martin of Anchorage, AK; Nanci L. Martin and her wife, Alicia Allen, of Baltimore, MD; a stepson, Nicholas Hathaway, and his wife, Tina, of Ascutney, VT; a stepdaughter, Ruthann Hathaway, and her partner, Bruce Anderson, of Cornish, NH; two nieces, Sandra Ferris and Laura Ariew, of California; as well as his former wife, Phyllis Butler, and her husband, Bradford Butler, of Allenstown, NH. David was blessed with many surviving grandchildren and great-grandchildren as a result of his blended family with Ruth.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 11:00 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ascutney, VT. Knight Funeral Home in Windsor, VT has been entrusted with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to David's family in an online guestbook at www.knightfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Springfield Humane Society, 401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT 05156.