William Riley “Billy” Martin Jr., age 59 of Fairmont, WV passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at his residence. He was born April 6, 1960 at Fairmont, WV a son of the late William Martin Sr. and Frankie Kniceley Martin.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Ann Amos Martin; one daughter, Rachel Diane Martin living at home; a sister, Melinda Diane Owens of Fairmont; four brothers-in-law, Bob (Barbara) Amos of Charleston, Paul (Brenda) Amos of Metz, Mark Amos of SC, and William Johnson of FL; two sisters-in-law, Phyllis (Cal) Zirkle of SC and Mary (Scott) Robertson of FL; two aunts, Christine Sokolosky and Charlotte Martin; several nephews, nieces and cousins.
In addition to his parents, Billy was preceded in death by a brother, Harvey Dennington; a sister-in-law, Martha Johnson; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Bob and Martha Amos; and his dog “Bingo”.
Billy was active involved in various churches throughout his life. He was a Mannington High School graduate class of 1978, attended Fairmont State College, and was a two-time football state champion. He was an electrical engineer for CONSOL and Murray Energy. He was an accomplished guitarist, loved WVU football, was a history buff, and he loved spending time with family. He crossed the finish line in Victory!
Family and friends may call at Masters Funeral Home, 209 Main St., Mannington, WV on Thursday, March 19, 2020 from 2-8:00pm. Funeral services will be held in the funeral home on Friday, March 20, 2020 beginning at 11:00am with Eulogist Randy Shuttlesworth and Pastor Larry Buckland officiating. Burial will follow at Mannington Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the Soup Opera in Fairmont. On-line condolence may be left for the family at www.mastersfuneralhomewv.com or the funeral home facebook page.
Condolences
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time. Marion County Senior Citizens.
Hania and I are so sorry about loss 🙏
R. I. P. Dear friend, Griz
What a man. A poem I wrote for all my mining brothers and sisters.
A Brother Not Forgotten
Few of us really knew him.
He was a hard working man indeed.
Few of us knew his loves in life,
Or even his life long dreams.
None of us know the pain
That his Family now must feel,
Or how the nights will be so long
But Oh, so very real.
None of us are wise enough to know,
What the next breath in life will bring,
But he’s a Brother Not Forgotten
And this my Friends
And mining Family
Is the most important thing!
Rest In Peace My Friend.
Edward Willard
My sincere condolences. He was definitely one of the great ones. I enjoyed working for Billy and talking about guitars and guitar playing. He will be greatly missed.
Sad, sad news. my condolences to the family.
Billy was one of the greatest guys i ever met, and a hell of a picker. I will always have great memories of him, from 40 years ago when we used to meet at Vincents, the Meadowbrook etc to listen to bands to going out to hear him play with Mark. He was such a nice guy, thats always the first thing everybody always said when hearing his name. I will miss him.
Mrs. Martin,
Ian and will wanted to express our deepest sympathies at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Melissa Phillips
Ann and Rachel,
I am so sorry for your loss. I’ve worked with Billy for 10 years and really enjoyed my time with him at work and outside of work at our tailgates. Billy was a wonderful man and I will miss him. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you.
Paul and Brenda, we are so sorry for your loss. We hope you find comfort in knowing he served the Lord and was welcomed home.
Billy was a good friend so talented and so very sweet always! May God bless and comfort you all!
I am so sorry to find out about your loss of Billy. My company provided mining equipment where he worked so we saw him regularly for many years. I loved him dearly. My condolences.
Billy was my supervisor, my mentor, and my friend. I will miss him.
Melinda, I am so sorry for your loss and send you love and hugs. Hopefully we can get together this summer after this virus mess. Take care.
What a great loss to you and your family. Ann, stay as strong and graceful as he would remember you. My thoughts are with you.
Ann and Rachel,
What news! My heart goes out to you along with this virtual hug during this surreal time. I hope you find comfort in your friends and your own thoughts.
Dejie
Worked off and on with Billy, great person, foreman and friend, just attended class with him in Monongah, talked a little laughing about past jobs we done together, very sorry for your lose, this is a lose for everyone that knew him.
You will he missed a Billy! A treasured classmate and a good friend. Rest In Peace my friend.
Billy was a great guy and his love for music is something Ill never forget. I talked to him last Wednesday for a time and we will all miss him at Mon County Coal mine. I know Billy will be smiling down on us, because its a long way to the top. My condolences.
Till we meet again on the other side old buddy. We grew up together and had some real good times. May god bless your family while you're gone.
I knew Billy for many years. He was a solid, "salt of the earth" person who enriched all our lives. He is and will always be missed. Condolences to his family and closest friends.
Dear Ann & Rachel,
Please know that our hearts are breaking for you and family right now. You may have heard Billy mention me, I was the only female mechanic at Blacksville #2. I worked for & with him several years. I’m sure you probably remember Butch Sabala, he was my former husband. He and Billy were good friends. Of course, who couldn’t like Billy. What a great guy. Just so sad that we have to say goodbye to him too soon. He poured his life into the mines & pretty sure it wasn’t appreciated.
Our deepest sympathy & prayers are extended to you throughout this very difficult time. I am sorry that I never got to meet you & Rachel, but Billy certainly spoke highly about both of you.
Our love and prayers,
Dave & Debbie Hockenberry
Ann,
So very sorry for your terrible loss. Beth and I send all of our condolences and prayers to you and your family and may Billy Rest in peace. We always enjoyed running into you and Billy and having a few beers and talking about mostly Sports but also other stuff. Billy was always so nice and courteous. There is a huge hole in your heart now but heaven just got a lot better.
So very sad to hear of Billy's passing. Such a wonderful person. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Fond memories of a really nice person... Keeping all of you in my prayers for strength and comfort in this most sad time.
Really saddened by the news. We hope to stop by sometime after virus crisis is past
Ann and Rachel,
I was so saddened to hear this news. I have very fond memories of Billy. I remember my father taking me to his high school football games when I was younger. Billy was a very good player. I am sorry I will not be able to make it up to WV for his service. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers. Take care!
Ann, Rachel and family,
I'm so very sorry for your loss. Although Billy and I had kind of lost touch over the years, I will always consider him a friend and one of my favorite people. He was a great athlete and teammate, a wonderful musician, and just an all-around great guy. But you know that. You've been in our thoughts all week. I'm sorry we couldn't make it up on Thursday. If there is anything we can do to help, just let us know.
Saying a prayer for your family