Arthur J. Martin Jr.
1954 - 2015

SPRINGFIELD - Arthur J. Martin Jr., died Monday in a local nursing home. He was born in Granby, August 26, 1954, the son of the late Arthur J. and Lillian (Benoit) Martin. He was an independent man with mild intellectual disability and had received support from The Association For Community Living since 1978. Through those supports, Arthur was a friend to many people, and many people were like family to Arthur. Arthur was a proud home owner of 27 Savoy Avenue in Springfield since 1988. He was very invested in maintaining and repairing his house. He enjoyed small home repairs and was very interested in support to do remodeling tasks there to improve it. Arthur worked as a groundskeeper at Oak Grove Cemetery from 1993-2002. He subsequently was a successful owner and operator of his own grounds keeping business for many years. Eventually, he retired from employment and attended Hawthorne Adult Day Health in Chicopee five days a week, where he was a friend to many people. Arthur was also a friend to many people in his community. He would walk, and ride his trike, which he loved, through his community to stores and restaurants, which he enjoyed very much. His trike was also a great source of pride for Arthur as it allows him to have his independence. Arthur liked to perform routine maintenance on his trike, keeping it in good running condition. Arthur was also very close to his neighbors for many years, and they had a close, mutually caring relationship. Arthur considered them his family for the past many years. They would visit each other at their houses and help each other out frequently. Arthur also was lovingly close to his girlfriend, Brenda, over the past several years. Arthur was, for many years, active in the support and advocacy of others with disability to become and stay as independent in their lives as possible. He was active with self-advocacy groups, and was always active in helping others when in need. The funeral will be held at the Curran-O'Brien Funeral Home, 33 Lamb Street, South Hadley, Monday, September 14, 2015 at 10:00am followed by burial in West Street Cemetery in Granby. Visiting hours will be held prior to the funeral home service on Monday from 9:00 – 10:00am. Memorial contributions may be made to The Association for Community Living, 220 Brookdale Dr. Springfield, MA 01104.