Patricia Lee Martin of Salem died peacefully on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at her home in the Salem Willows, with her family around her. She was 73. She and her husband, Michael Martin, were married 41 years.
She was born and raised in Beverly, the only child of the late Patricia Shrauger, and later found herself part of the large Martin family. She took pride in her Salem lineage, the Mallard and Stanchfield families, which goes back to the 1600s.
Patti worked for more than 30 years as an engineering leader at the same company through three names, Gordon Engineering, then Data Precision and finally Analogic, a steady presence as the business changed around her. Outside work she and her mother collected antique furniture and Barbie dolls.
The Willows was the center of her life. Early on, summer nights were spent there with friends and with Michael’s parents, both Marine veterans of World War II, listening to Glenn Miller and the big bands. She was active in the Juniper Community Club, threw darts for a team called Spiro’s Heroes at the Witches Brew Cafe on Derby Street, and for 20 years joined her husband’s fishing friends for a Thursday night beer, an occasion that came to be called “a Patti beer.” In the late 1960s she counted herself a hippie and traveled with friends to Florida and California for the music. For several years she and Michael organized annual bus trips to King Richard’s Faire in Carver. She traveled to London and Aruba but was happiest close to home.
Friends and relatives went to her when they needed a clear read on a situation; her family says she could see through the fog and usually offered exactly the advice that was needed. Her home was full of cats and dogs, including Cooper, another family’s cat who moved in and never left. Her determination over the last six years gave her time with her grandson, Quinn, whom she treated to ice cream and the newest Legos and listened to with pride as Grammy.
She leaves her husband, Michael Martin; her daughter, M.J. Martin, and her partner, Greg Caron; her grandchildren, Quinn and Harper Caron; and the rest of the Martin family.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by O’Donnell Cremations, Funerals, Celebrations, 84 Washington Square, Salem. Donations in her memory may be made to the Sak Strong Foundation or to the MSPCA Northeast Animal Shelter.
Compiled from information published by O'Donnell Cremations, Funerals, Celebrations. Photograph courtesy of the family via O'Donnell Cremations, Funerals, Celebrations. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
