Obituary of Joseph Alton Martin

Joseph Alton Martin, Jr. Civil Servant and Leader passes at 73 Joseph Alton Martin, Jr., of West Caldwell, New Jersey passed away on Friday, December 27, 2019 at The Daughters of Miriam in Clifton. Born in Orange, New Jersey on October 12, 1946, and raised in Essex Fells, Joe was the oldest child of Joseph Alton Martin, Sr., a union electrician, and Jean Ann (Mullin) Martin, a homemaker. He and his former wife, Diane (Tranmal), moved to West Caldwell in 1980 where they raised three children. Joe was a 1964 graduate of West Essex High School and a 1969 graduate of Syracuse University, where he also earned an MBA. While at Syracuse, Joe was a member of the Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity. Later in his professional career, he attended the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. Mr. Martin proudly served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and as a Reservist for 28 years. He was honorably discharged as a Lt. Col. He was a season ticket holder for Army Football for over 30 years and a member of the Army "A" Club. Joe's professional work spanned several assignments, most notably in local government where he twice served as Essex County Administrator, as well as Union County Manager, and lastly as Verona Town Manager. He worked at New Jersey Transit in the late 1980s and out of the Roseland Office of Arthur Andersen in the 1990s. In addition to his dedication to local government, he served on the Caldwell / West Caldwell Board of Education from 1994 – 2003. He also served as Pack Leader for Cub Scout Pack 9, West Caldwell in the 1980s. A person of lifelong faith, Joe was an altar boy at St. Aloysius Church in Caldwell as a young man. As an adult he became a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell, where he was still active. He was a proud member of The Essex Fells Country Club, where he served on the Board for several years. In 2005, he was the winner of the annual McMillian Invitational. In addition to his former wife, Joe is survived by his three children and their spouses, Jesse Charles and Karoline Yetman Martin of Massachusetts; Lt. Col. Jonathan Robert and Tuuli Martin of Texas; and Holly Diane and Maj. Randy Ready of Hawaii. He also leaves his loving brother, Robert Charles Martin of Bloomfield; and five cherished grandchildren, Charlie, Patrick, Claire, Ryan and Leah. Family and friends are invited to visit on Thursday, January 2nd from 3-7 pm at the Codey & Jones Funeral Home, 54 Roseland Avenue, Caldwell, NJ. The funeral service will be held on Friday, January 3rd at 11:00 am in the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell, 326 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006. To extend a condolence or share a memory with the family, please visitwww.codeyjonesfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to the West Essex First Aid Squad and/or The Daughters of Miriam in Clifton would be appreciated.