“One bare moon shining in the mid day sun
Lept for joy in the heat waves, revelled in the fun
For the sheer joy of it, the mountain high of it…
“Two missed steps, three held breaths
The moon becomes a shining star”
Neil died suddenly while hiking with friends on Eagle Pass on September 5th, 2011 at the age of 25. A funeral service will be held at the Revelstoke Community Centre on Saturday September 10 at 2 p.m. with Reverend Ken Jones of the United Church officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations towards a memorial bench fund in Neil’s name can be facilitated by contacting Revelstoke City Hall.
Neil was born on May 2nd 1986 in Vernon to Dianne and Ed Martin, a younger brother for Joel and Simon. The family moved to Revelstoke in 1988 and this has been his home ever since. From a young age Neil followed his older brothers into many adventures, especially their adventures in the outdoors. During his school years Neil excelled at downhill ski racing and travelled through the province competing. He also loved snowboarding, snowmobiling, long boarding, camping, fishing and hiking to high mountain peaks. Where ever Neil went, the love for his family and the great outdoors kept him coming home again to Revelstoke. He hiked extensively with his brothers, fished with his father and helped his Mom with her extensive rock garden on the banks of the Columbia River. He embraced being an uncle to his very young niece and nephews and loved visiting with Gramma. He made us all smile over his lifelong love of cats and will be missed by his furry companion “Scat”. He was a friend with a ready smile, a helping hand and an infectious enthusiastic banter. Neil loved working on mapping out the next road trip or hiking path and inviting anyone who would like to come along.
We miss you Neil, we can’t believe you’re gone!
“We search through life trying to find something to live for. Life’s not complete till that moment”. Written by Neil to a friend this past summer.
“Dying’s part of the wheel, right next to being born…Being part of the whole thing, that’s the blessing” Natalie Babbitt from an inspiration book of his Mom’s.
Shared memories and condolences can be sent by visiting Neil’s memorial page on Facebook.
