Daniel Thomas Martin

Daniel Thomas Martin, 67, beloved husband of Antoinette (Duran) Martin, left this world on April 29, 2020, to join his dearly loved parents in the Lord’s House. He was born January 19, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, later growing up in nearby Livonia. A graduate of Churchill High School, Dan also graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where he earned a degree in English. For most of Dan’s professional career, he worked in printing and graphics, progressing to the position of Sales Manager prior to retiring in 2018. He continued to enjoy later work on a number of local Chamber of Commerce annual publications. To know Dan was to love Dan. With his keen wit, quick sense of humor, and an inescapable tendency to capture funny words and phrases, (known to his many friends as “Martin-isms,”) Dan was a slim man with a huge heart. Always proud of his Irish heritage, he and Antoinette made many trips back to his ancestral home. It was there that he learned the word “Hooley,” Irish slang for “party.” And Dan was one who loved a good party. For that reason, when he and Antoinette purchased a beautiful 30-foot yacht in 2012, naming the vessel “Hooley” was a given. Each year, when getting the boat into the Lake Erie waters, Dan would coyly ask the workers at the marina what time it was. Playing along, they would all respond loudly that “It’s HOOLEY time!” In better health, Dan had a love for all things aquatic. He was an avid boater but also an accomplished scuba diver. In his younger years he also enjoyed downhill skiing and roller skating, and continued to cheer loudly for his favorite college and pro football teams. Dan was born to Margaret (Hamill) Martin and James Robert Martin; he was also the loving step-son of Joseph Rybicki. He leaves behind his loving wife of 26 years, the absolute love of his life, Antoinette, as well as their two faithful dogs, Dolly and Lilly. He is also mourned by his sisters Patricia Martin-Dement [Bruce); Maura [Bruce] Hayward; and his brother Brian [Virginia] Martin. He will also be sadly missed by his parents-in-law, Richard and Rose Duran; and Antoinette’s siblings, Helen (Robert) Balsis; Denise (Randy) Rodnick; Richard (Monica) Duran; and Sheila McIntosh, as well as his many nieces, nephews, their families, and his extended family in Ireland. Dan Martin declared himself to be a “Professional Irish.” He knew every word of traditional Irish music sung around St. Patrick’s Day, songs like “Black Velvet Band,” “No, Nay Never,” and so many others. His theme song, though, may not have been Irish at all. It may really have been Kool and the Gang’s 1980 classic “Celebrate!” (“…It’s time to come together, it’s up to you, what’s your pleasure, celebrate good times, come on!” Dan simply loved people. On entering a crowded room, he was known to greet someone with an outstretched hand and the words, “Hi, I’m Dan Martin. Damned glad to know ya!” Or, on occasion, “I’m Dan Martin. Don’t know ya -- want to!” Sometimes it was “Nice to see ya – wouldn’t want to be ya!” When spouting an indisputable fact of any kind, he’d consistently advise anyone that he or she could “take it to the bank!” When he was telling a joke and the recipient didn’t laugh (a rare occasion!) Dan would say, “Let me repeat myself!” And then he would go on to recite the entire joke again, which always seemed to make it that much funnier. While Dan Martin always entered a room with style and flourish, his departures were often the opposite, usually slipping away quietly to avoid a long goodbye. (While some may call these types of departures “Irish goodbyes,” Dan laughingly insisted that they’re really French!) Although it could seem like he’s trying to do that again, that is to slip away quietly, this time he cannot. This time, there are simply too many family, friends, and loving fans who won’t let him leave this world unnoticed and remain determined to celebrate this unique and special man’s life. “Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling; From glen to glen, and down the mountain side. The summers gone, and all the roses falling. ‘Tis you, it’s you must go and I must bide. But come ye back when summers in the meadow. Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow. ‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow. Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, we love you so...” ---Frederic Weatherly, 1913 Visitation Monday, May 4, 2020 from 4:30 – 8 pm and Funeral Service at 6:30 PM at Vermeulen-Sajewski Funeral Home, 980 N. Newburgh Road (between Ford Road and Cherry Hill) Westland. Interment is at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Salvation Army of Westland, 2300 S. Venoy Road, Westland, MI 48186. To share a memory please use the Share a Memory tab on this web page.

Daniel Thomas Martin

January 19, 1953 - April 29, 2020