Richard "Dick" Martin

Richard “Dick” George Martin died peacefully on May 1, 2020, he was 92. Dick was born in Utah to Harry Martin and Rosalia Mathews Juergens on September 15, 1927. His school years were in Washington D.C. and at Military School in Salida, Kansas. Near the end of WWII, he was drafted into the Army after which he graduated from Colorado School of Mines in 1950. He married Mickey Kyser, adopted her son, Dean, and in 1953 had a daughter together, Kim. The family moved frequently from oil patch to oil patch during the earlier years of his career. Dick went back to school and received his law degree in 1965. Later in his career, as regional geophysicist with Unocal, he explored for oil on every continent (except Antarctica). He returned to Roswell, NM to retire but soon was asked by Collin McMillan, Assistant Secretary of Defense, to manage his holdings. In 2014 he moved to Durango to be near his family in his final years. Dick enjoyed traveling, collecting cars and playing tennis, he played up until he was 90! Described by those who knew him as “a character”, most wouldn’t call him a “family man” in the normal sense of the term, but he certainly loved his daughter, grandkids, great-grandkids and his dogs. He is survived by his daughter, Kim Martin; son-in-law, Steven Phillips (Hesperus CO); grandchildren: Jeb Holt and wife Mari (Lafayette CO), Ryan Holt and wife Erica (Fredericksburg VA), Nicole Holt (Pagosa Springs CO); great-grandchildren: Sophia, Elena, Cyrus, Natalie, and Jebby Holt, and his loyal dog Bessie. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Mercy, Durango, CO.