Nathan Joseph Martin

To view the service, click https://youtu.be/lsu17viANgY

Nathan Joseph Martin, 72, of Grant, Idaho, passed away unexpectedly on February 17, 2024, at his home.

Nathan was born on July 13, 1951, in Rigby, Idaho, to Charles Stuart and Donna Belle Martin. He grew up in Menan and graduated from Rigby High School in 1969. IN 1972, he married his eternal companion, Gloria Lee Hope. They made their home in Ammon, Idaho, where they raised their four children. They later moved to Grant, Idaho.

Nate was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved serving in the Church, whether it be as a primary teacher, or as a bishop. He loved the Lord and had a testimony of the Plan of Salvation.

Nate loved football, baseball, and especially basketball. He coached hundreds, if not thousands, of kids throughout his life in Grid Kid football, Little League baseball, and city league basketball. He loved coaching and would talk often about the individual players. He remembered every play from every game and would relive those memories whenever he had the change. He took pride in coaching freshmen girls basketball at Hillcrest High School and Thunder Ridge High School, and both freshmen girls and freshmen boys basketball at Rigby High School. He loved his players like his kids. When Nate’s sons were playing, he was known to sneak away from work to make it to a game.

Nate loved to write poetry and would often put a poem together to commemorate events in his life- whether it was the snoring of his wife or a near death experience with his in-laws. He was always up for a good joke and was usually the one telling it. Every child he met was teased about whether they were married and how many people they kissed at school that day. Nate’s sense of humor will be missed.

Nathan is survived by his wife, Gloria Martin of Grant, Idaho; sons Chad (Katie) Martin of Rigby, Idaho, and T.J. (Shilowe) Martin of Emmett, Idaho; daughters Natalie (Tom) Daniels of Kimberly and Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Suzette (Jack) Klein of Idaho Falls, Idaho; 17 grandchildren, 4 ½ great-grandchildren; brothers Jay Martin and Robert (Lori), of Rigby, Idaho; sisters Fern Martin of Carmichael, California, and Sharon Berrett of South Jordan, Utah.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Dale, George and Bert; sister Jean Patterson; son-in-law Kirk Taylor; and granddaughters Charlie and Chelsie Klein.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at the Menan Stake Center (698 N 3600 E Menan ID 83434). The family will visit with friends before the funeral from 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. and on Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Menan Stake Center. Burial will be in the Central (Grant) Cemetery.

The family asks that Nate’s former players wear their school colors. Any former players that would like, are invited to sing “I Am a Child of God” during the service.