Donald R. Martin

Donald (Don) Richard Martin Sr, 87, of Granville, NY passed away on Nov. 5, 2023 peacefully at his home with his family Amy Wolfe, Beth Crouch, Brad Getty and Diane Parker by his side following a long battle with cancer.

He was born on August 16, 1936 in Schenectady, NY to John and Margaret (McGovern) Martin. He grew up with brothers, Kenneth, Robert and Mike Martin along with sister, Marilyn (Martin) Rankowitz.

After attending high school he joined the Air Force.  He spent time at Mather AFB in California and Thule, Greenland.  After being honorably discharged he went into law enforcement in California.  Upon returning to New York he was a truck driver and eventually went into the career that he loved as an auctioneer, attending and receiving his diploma from Reisch Auction College in Mason City, Iowa. He owned his own auction company, Shamrock Auction Inc. and did work for various District Courts, dealing with Bankruptcies, Adesa Auto Auctions in Boston, Massachusetts; Tri State Auto Auction in Syracuse, NY; Auto Auction of New England, Londonderry, New Hampshire; Gray, Maine, and Beeline Auctions in Florida. Shamrock Auction Company also did estate and heavy equipment sales.

He was a gold card member of the PRCA for over 40 years; a gold card member of the APRA for over 20 years and the IPRA for over 15 years.  He was a bull rider, rode broncs, steer wrestled, was a calf and team roper for years, receiving many buckles and plaques. When he no longer participated in these sports he became a Rodeo Announcer (Pond Hill, Painted Pony among others).  He was the Vermont State Director of the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. In 2018 he was inducted to the Adirondack Cowboy-Cowgirl Hall of Fame. His work with the Adirondack Stampede and Make-A-Wish foundation was very important to him. 

He was the owner of three race cars that raced at Malta Speedway and Devil’s Bowl regularly.  He quickly built a race team with local youth.  Not only was he able to keep the young adults busy he was able to mentor and see each of them learning and enjoy his passion for racing.  Don thought of each of them as family.  He loved to tell stories of the teams racing and was proud at the success of the team. His daughter, Amy, even drove one of his cars in several races bringing home a checkered flag. He enjoyed talking shop with Dave Armstrong and watching grandson, David Armstrong race Motocross.

He loved traveling and enjoyed sharing those experiences with his family.  He loved to share his wisdom and experiences, he was quite a storyteller.  His love of history was often utilized by his girls.  When they wanted a question of history answered they would often begin with “please give me just the short version.” Extended family thought of him as a man anyone would be lucky to have as a mentor, a generous and giving person, strong mountain of a man, intelligent, and wise. He was happiest when surrounded by family and always liked to watch people succeed.  He loved John Wayne movies, the cowboy channels and watching old westerns with Don Parker.

He is survived by his step-daughters, Dawn (Danny Williams Jr) Warren, Lisa Walker, Amy (Dave Armstrong) Wolfe and Beth (Brad Getty) Crouch whom he embraced as his own daughters.  He always felt that family was not by blood but by the bonds of the heart. His daughter, Colleen (Paul) Halliwell, and sons, Daniel (Karen) and Dale (Katie) Martin all of the Schenectady area.  He is also survived by his brother, Kenneth Martin (Karen) and his grandchildren, great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.  He had a special relationship with his granddaughter, Carly Getty, and grandson, Matthew Getty who lived in his home and he interacted with every day.  His granddaughter, Aviana Armstrong and grandson, Axton Armstrong who he was with often.  Even in the last months of his life he made a point of getting to Aviana’s t-ball games, and their school functions at all costs. One of his last outings was to see Axton in his Halloween Parade at Leap Frog Nursery School.

He was predeceased by his sister, Marilyn and brothers, Michael and Robert.  His daughters, Kathleen Gilbert, Charleen Boboyski and son, Donald Richard Jr.

Services and Celebrations of life will be held at a later date.

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