Birth date: Aug 15, 1923 Death date: Mar 13, 2020
Dr. Lester Warren Martin of Bellbrook, formerly of Cincinnati, passed on March 13, 2020, after a courageous battle with congestive heart failure. Les was born on August 15, 1923, in Edwards, Missouri, on a small family farm in the Read Obituary
Dr. Martin saved my life, I am now 44 years old and really am grateful to him. As I get older, I appreciate each day that Dr. Martin gave me. I don\u2019t remember him, but my Mom, who was only 20 when I was born, always speaks so kindly about him. I stumbled upon this while researching EA, and I hope this finds you. Abby Armstrong (born 6/9/77 and sent to Cincinnati Children\u2019s immediately after birth).
Dr Martin was my son's Dr from the time he was 5 days old . did several surgeries on him Jason Hayslip.
I was so sorry to hear about the death of your father and grandfather. When I was first diagnosed with Ileitis in 1961 (before it was called Crohn's disease) I was a patient of Dr. Martin's at Children's Hospital.When I was recently asked to speak at our major fundraiser in Cincinnati about my experience with IBD, I shared a quote I had written in my scrapbook from 1961 when I was twelve years old... "My doctor is Dr. Lester W. Martin, a marvelous doctor who is a really nice person and a very handsome man! He is 38 years old. If it weren't for him I'd still be sick! I can thank him a LOT!!"I know I am only one of thousands of children and whose lives were changed because of Dr. Martin. My heartfelt appreciation and condolences to his family.
I was saddened to learn that Dr. Martin had passed away. I was his fellow at Cincinnati Children's Hospital 1970-1972. Those were among the best years of my professional life.He was not only a gifted surgeon, but an extraordinary teacher and mentor. A patient and gentle man, even when a procedure was not going well, his comment was never more that " For goodness sake", at which point the entire team knew that he was really upset. And when he would cut out a suture whih I had placed but that he did not like, he would apologize, as if he had made a mistake. His legacy goes well beyond his family and the many children he cared for himself, but also the tens of thousands of children treated by his trainees. My condolences to his family.Martin J. Bell, M.D.
I want to offer my sincere condolences to Dr Martin's family...he is very special to my family and I. I was one of Dr Martin's first adult patients to have the pull through surgery at Holmes Hospital in 1979. I was 23 yrs old. He was professional, kind, and very attentive. It was a blessing to have Dr Martin for my surgeon. The pull through procedure was the first of its kind, innovative and improved my quality of life tremendously. We will always be grateful to Dr Martin and his legacy will inspire others for years. Sincerely, Rosine Daoud Cassidy
Dr.Martin had a huge impact on my career, allowing me to spend time an entire summer on his service, as a senior med student from Italy. He then arranged a Pediatrics internship at CCH for me, so I could learn some basic pediatrics before embarking on my Pediatric Surgery training. He practiced what he preached, as his knowledge of medical pediatrics was such that he was a pediatrics floor attending a couple of months every year: the perfect role model for aspiring pediatric surgeons! I will always consider him one of my most valuable mentors. My sincere condolences to the family: he was loved by many!
Just found out about Dr Martin . . . In 1961 at the age of four I was admitted to Children's Hospital. After testing it was discovered I had a Wilm's Tumor on my left kidney which was removed the next day. I am 63 now, 59 years a survivor. I am a mother of two grown children and grandmother to two boys. If not for Dr Martin's expertise and the fine staff at Children's, I would not be here to tell this tale. Year after year my mother and I traveled to Children so I could be 'checked out'. I will never forget Dr Martin's blue eyes and his smile. I am thankful I was able to express my thanks, via email, to Dr Martin years ago. Blessings on his family.Susan Magella Ernst
I would like to extend my most heartfelt sympathies to the family of Dr. Martin. To say that he was the shining light of my medical education would be an understatement. I attended the UC Medical School in the early 1970s, and spent two weeks during my general surgery rotation with Dr. Martin, and then a six week elective rotation with him during my senior year. To this day I have many, many memories of my time with Dr. Martin. The testimonials here from his patients are far more valuable than my long-ago recollections can be. But I will try. There was the Sunday night the resident and I had to call him in because of an error we had made on a post-op newborn. After assessing the situation, and deciding that the child would have to return to the OR, Dr. Martin said simply, "It looks like we are dealing with people mistakes tonight." Despite the utter mortification I felt at the time, from Dr. Martin I learned patience. And the importance of attention to detail that guided my entire career. In the fall of '73, Dr. Martin left for a few days to take one of his children to college, in Colorado, I believe. When he returned, I asked him if he had been able to do some fly fishing while he was away, something I seem to recall he liked. When he said, no, and I said something like, "That's too bad." He looked at me, and I will never forget his flashing blue eyes as he said, "No. I'd much rather fix this thyroglossal duct cyst." There was no doubt he was dead serious. From Dr. Martin, I learned patients' needs were more important than mine. I am retired now, but the lessons I learned from Dr. Martin will remain with me always. It is an honor to have known and been mentored by such a wonderful man. My best wishes to his family.Sincerely, Thomas K. Geraci, MD (UC 1974)
His name was LESTER MARTIN!Ok, that said:Dear Family of Lester Martin,I am but one of the countless people who exist because of Dr. Martin. I was born in 1958 with spinal bifida. He operated on me at least 30 times, until I was 18 years old. I adored him, as did my mother (who worked at Children's for two of his colleagues, Dr. Warkany and Dr. Sabin). I have a memoir coming out this fall (Golem Girl, via Penguin/Random House) that talks about Dr. Martin and my time growing up in the hospital. I would be pleased to send someone a copy when it comes out.Also, my brother and I visited him in 2014, out on his farm. I'm sending a photo from that day.I am so, so grateful for your magnificent father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, companion. Please feel free to contact me when and if it feels right.With the warmest possible thoughts and deepest condolences,Riva Lehrer
And I don't know why the photo loaded sideways. Please feel free to contact me for a copy.
