Homer E. Martin Jr., 93

May 20, 2020

Homer E. Martin, Jr., age 93, a resident of Moravian Manor in Lititz, PA passed away on May 20, 2020. Born in Lancaster, PA on August 28, 1926, he was the son of the late Homer E. and Margaret Wagner Martin. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of nearly 66 years, Flora Adams Martin.

Homer graduated from Rothsville High School in 1943 and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1944. He was accepted into the V-12 Navy Aviation College Training Program at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, MD and then transferred to Yale University’s V-12\ROTC program to study naval science. He later served as an Ensign on the USS Cambria in the Caribbean. In 1949, Homer was appointed a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Naval Reserve and returned to Yale. In 1950, he graduated from Yale with a B.A. in History and married his sweetheart, Flora.

Homer discovered his niche in the newspaper library when, in 1953, he took a job with the Lancaster Newspapers. It was the perfect career for a man who loved reading, history, politics, and current events. He worked in that library for seven years until, in 1961, he began his 29-year tenure as Chief Librarian at the Record Newspaper in Hackensack, NJ. Soon after, Homer and Flora moved their family to Wayne, NJ.

Homer was active in the Special Libraries Association (SLA) and served as chairman and officer of SLA’s News Division. In 1986, he won the Agnes Henebry Roll of Honor Award for outstanding service to the Association and in 1989, he won the Joseph F. Kwapil Memorial Award, the highest recognition of the News Division, for major achievement in the field of news librarianship.

Homer put the Record in the forefront of the industry by transferring the library collection of paper files and microfilm to an electronic data base. At the time, it was a technological marvel which became a model for other newspaper and business libraries. In 1987, Homer was honored by the Record, when he won the Chairman’s Award, given to an outstanding employee for extraordinary personal and professional contributions to the paper.

For 40 years, Homer and Flora were active members of Packanack Community Church of Wayne, NJ. Homer served on many church boards and committees, chaired the Church Council, sang in the choir, and was a member of the men’s reading group. Homer was an avid reader and bridge player, and also enjoyed sailing, gardening, and listening to classical and jazz music. After retiring back to Lititz in 2003, Homer and Flora joined the Lititz Moravian Congregation. Homer was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

Homer is survived by two daughters: Suzanne, married to Robert Ward, of Burlington, NJ, and Carol, married to David Dickey, of Reston, VA, and three grandchildren: Steven Ward, Jennifer Dickey, and Kevin Dickey. He also is survived by two brothers: James Martin (Lucille Grube) of Manheim and Kenneth Martin (Gladys Sangrey) of Lititz. He was preceded in death by his sister, Lois Martin and his brother, Glenn Martin (Wanda Emich). Also surviving are his brother-in-law, J. Robert Hess and sister-in-law June Strohm Adams.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be sent to Moravian Manor, 300 W. Lemon St., Lititz, PA 17543, to the Book of Remembrance, Lititz Moravian Congregation, 8 Church Square, Lititz, PA 17543, or to Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Dr. East, Wayne, NJ 07470.