Newman "Marty" B. Martindale Jr.

Newman B. Martindale, Jr. (Marty) passed away on April 20th at Baptist South Hospital. He was 94 years old. Marty was a Jacksonville native born on September 30th, 1928, to Newman B. Martindale, Sr. and Buleah Marwick Martindale. His family was involved in roof construction in Jacksonville before the depression years.

Marty spent his years during the depression moving around with various family members in the Jacksonville area. He lived for a short time with family in Blakely, GA. As a young boy, he began working to help make money for the family and held many odd jobs throughout his youth including working at the movie theater in San Marco in the 1940s.

He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in 1948. Later in life he would attend Jacksonville University where he became an electrical engineer. He spent his early years working in broadcasting in Jacksonville both in radio and television. His broadcasting story can be seen online in an oral history interview with the Jacksonville Broadcasting Association. https://www.jaxbroadcasters.org/oral-histories.

He was drafted into the Army Signal Corp and served in the Korean War. On his return he continued his work in broadcasting but later worked for AT&T in the days when telephone lines were being laid and the era of mass communication was burgeoning.

In 1958 he married Juanita Bradley of Augusta, GA. They lived in Jacksonville for several years while Marty continued to work for AT&T.

Marty joined the Foreign Service in 1966 and became an engineer with the Voice of America. He spent the next 25 years working as a Foreign Service Officer and traveled the world with his family living in West Africa as well as parts of Greece with occasional tours in Washington DC.

Marty was an avid pilot and learned to fly as a very young man. He owned many small airplanes over the course of his life and enjoyed flying immensely. He was not only a pilot, but also a dedicated specialist in airplane maintenance and inspection. He worked for the Federal Aviation Association for decades helping with airplane certifications. He also learned to fly sailplanes and enjoyed his soaring days later in life. He was a talented and versatile aviator.

On his retirement in 1984, Marty and Juanita moved back to Jacksonville where they lived the remainder of their lives. Marty became very involved at the St. Augustine Airport where he pursued is passion for flying and airplane maintenance. He continued to fly as long as possible.

He is survived by his son Newman B. Martindale, III of Atlanta, Georgia and Vivynne Martindale Agrios of Gainesville, FL and their spouses Nicole Martindale and Anthony Agrios. He is also the proud grandfather to 5 grandchildren (Megan Martindale, Bradley Martindale, Courtney Martindale, Ariana Agrios, and Maximos Agrios) as well as 3 beautiful great-grandchildren (Mackenzie, Levi and Emma). He will be cremated and his remains will be held at the National Cemetery in Jacksonville. A memorial service will take place in a few weeks to honor his amazing life and his service to our country.