Charles Edward “Charlie” Martin, 70, of Front Royal, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 in the Winchester Medical Center, as a result of a severe brain injury due to a fall on ice on December 17, 2016 at his home.

A funeral service will be conducted on Tuesday, January 10 at 12:00 p.m. at Maddox Funeral Home with Pastor Danny Clegg officiating. Entombment will follow in the Panorama Memorial Gardens at Waterlick.

Charlie was born in Warren County at the old Johnson’s Nursing Home on Luray Avenue in Front Royal on November 14, 1946, son of the late Harry Edwin Martin of St. Albins, West Virginia and Agnes J. Sealock Martin Lawless.

Charlie was married to the love of his life, Betty Barbe Martin, on June 22, 1969.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brother, James Lawless of Greenville, South Carolina; aunts and uncles; grandparents, Louis Ashby Sealock and Elizabeth Estes Sealock, who raised him from a small child.

Charles was known by many from his 50 years of employment at the old Gilliam Lumber Company in Front Royal. His boss was Samuel Baggarly of Front Royal, whom he highly respected. Charles and Betty purchased and ran the By-Pass Grocery on 6th Street and Commerce Avenue in June 1989 and sold it in October 2003. In recent years he was employed with the County of Warren as a Park Ranger, opening and closing the recreational parks in the county, and as a refuse worker at several of the dumpster sights.

Charlie was well known and loved by hundreds of people in our community and never met a stranger, and had a nickname for just about everyone. He especially enjoyed his many mornings of coffee and gossip at McDonalds on South Street in Front Royal along with his special buddy, Ricky Beeler. Charlie was a hard- working dedicated employee and hardly ever missed a day of work in his 55 some years of employment. He will be sadly and greatly missed by his family and many friends.

Surviving are his loving and devoted wife of 48 years, “B.J.” Betty J. Martin; daughter, April Martin Gorman and son-in-law, Timothy J. Gorman; granddaughter, Kristina Marie Gorman; brother, Randy Lawless and wife Crystal of South Carolina; cousin, Margaret Derflinger Cogar of Martinsburg, West Virginia; uncle, Denver Martin of White Post, Virginia; and several other cousins, nieces, nephews, and sisters-in-law,and brothers- in-law.

Pallbearers will be Kent Coons, Frank Moore, William C. “Billy” Henry, Joe Kovacs, James Smith, and R.L. Frederick.

Honorary pallbearers will be Samuel Baggarly, Nick Carroll, Woodrow Atkins, James Compton, Ricky Beeler and Timothy Gorman.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 10 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the funeral home.