Michael Wesley Martin

Michael Wesley Martin, 55, of Lerna, IL passed away at home on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 7: 45 p.m. after fighting an intense battle with pancreatic cancer.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Friday, July 26, 2024, at the Barkley Funeral Chapel in Greenup. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at the Funeral Chapel. The burial will be in the Greenup Cemetery with Military Rites by the Cumberland County Veterans. 

Mike (or Wes, depending on when you met him), was born on November 25, 1968, in Mattoon, IL to Robert and Linda (Eggers) Martin. Survivors include his parents, brother Robert (Christine) Martin Jr., nieces Jessica (Tony) Pauley, and Rashelle (Will) Lewis, and nephews Tyler (Hannah) Pikowski, Cainan Martin (Lalena Wolf), and Rob Martin III (Sadie Payne), as well as eight great-nieces and nephews: Hope, Haleigh, Maddie, Braden, Easton, Evie, Tucker, and Isla.  He remained close to his stepchildren Evan (Serena) Klaves and Erin Stauder (Connor Nelson). He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Victor and Treva Martin; Richard and Norma Eggers; and an infant sister Tereasa Marie.

Mike was proud to have served in the United States Army during Operation Desert Storm and drove a 5-ton truck during the March to Baghdad.  He worked as a Civil Engineering Tech for the Illinois Department of Transportation for 32 years before retiring in 2020, but his true passion was hunting.  Fur, feathers, or fins, he loved all of it.  His greatest joy in life was hunting with his family and friends: elk, antelope, or prairie dogs in Wyoming; bears in Canada; deer, hogs, turkey (and an occasional armadillo) at Rob and Christine’s farm in Missouri; and of course deer, ducks and upland birds in Illinois.  He loved the camaraderie and the stories, and gained lifelong friends as well as his trophies. He was an expert marksman, ballistics specialist, and lifetime member of the NRA.  Deer season will never be the same. 

Memorials may be made to the Cumberland Trap/Skeet Club or the donor’s choice.

Online condolences can be expressed at www.barkleyfuneralchapels.com

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