Joseph "Joe'" Alexander Martell

With great sorrow, we announce our dear husband, father, and grandfather, Joe passed at his home in Gloucester, ON, with family at his side on April 26th, after fighting his final battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Joe was 74 years old.

Joseph was born on November 16, 1948, in Sudbury, Ontario, to Joseph Arthur Eli Martell and Ellen Rita O’Connor. He was tremendously bright and skipped two grades in school. He attended Lively District Secondary School from 1961 to 1966. He learned how to play chess from a Chess Master during a trip to England on the SS Ivernia in 1958.

As an adolescent in Lively, there was plenty of wilderness to explore, comic books to trade, and mischief to get into. To their delight, he regaled his children with stories of his adventures as a boy growing up in Northern Ontario.

In December of 1966, Joseph enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces and traveled through most of Canada from BC to Nunavut. He did his basic training in Calgary, AB, with the Queen’s Own Rifles and did Sapper training in Chilliwack before moving to Petawawa, and then Ottawa. His time in the CAF left a huge impression on his life.

In 1973, he met Catherine on a blind date set up by Catherine’s brother Dennis and wife, Maureen. They married a year later. Catherine wore a department store dress bought with money Joseph won in a game of cards.

In 1974, wanting to settle his family in Ottawa, Joseph was honorably discharged from the army. He was very proud of his service as well as others who served.

In 1975, he joined the Canadian Revenue Service and worked as an assessor until he retired in 2002.

Joseph was a quiet man and considered himself an “Ordinary Joe.” He liked fishing, traveling, baseball, golf, and hockey and had numerous hobbies over the years. He enjoyed books of facts, genealogy, movies, and history. He watched his son bat home runs in little league and would be willing to answer questions about hockey and baseball from his daughter endlessly.  He was a Lynx season ticket holder and was photographed in the rain with his daughter, waiting for a game to start. Numerous fishing trips sparked Daniel’s love of the outdoors and passion for wildlife and nature conservation. The family has fond memories of traveling with him at the helm throughout Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

He loved Catherine dearly, and his children were reminded of this often through displays of affection, thoughtfulness, and generosity around holidays in the form of presents, personal notes, and poems.

He is survived by his faithful wife, Catherine (Kelly), and loving children, Andrea and Daniel (Farrah). He was a proud grandfather, "Poppy," to Keira and Scarlett, Peter's loving brother, and Robert's uncle. Joe is predeceased by his parents, Joseph and Ellen (Rita), and his sister Patricia.

Joe was of the opinion that you could do whatever you want in life “If only you try.”

He was “Just an ordinary Joe," as he would say, but he was an exceptional man and will be missed terribly.

The Martell Family would like to thank the following, for all their help and support; Veterans Affairs Canada. Thank you to Marie-Claude Laurendeau and Barbara McDonald; Doctor Rebekah Murphy, Montfort Hospital and Doctor Ari Breiner, Ottawa Hospital and The ALS Clinic, Ottawa Hospital. Thank you to Belinda Zehrt, RN; Home and Community Care Services: Thank you to PSW Temi, PSW John and Night visit nurses, Diana and Carla and special mention to Nurse Jackie; Complex Respiratory Care Program: Thank you to Claudia, Crystal and Valerie.

A Graveside Service with Military Honours will be held at the National Military Cemetery within Beechwood Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 10:00AM. A gathering will follow within the National Memorial Centre of Beechwood. For those that may not be able to attend the Graveside Service with Military Honours for Joe, you are invited to register for the Livestreaming Services at the following link : Livestream Registration

For those who wish to honour his life, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the ALS Society of Canada at https://www.als.ca