Edward G. Martell (J.R.) of Northeast, OH, lost his brief struggle with Kidney Failure and passed away peacefully on April 1, 2020, at the young age of 59, at the Compassionate Care Center (hospice), with his loving wife by his side. Edward was an outstanding husband, father, grandfather and friend. His loving and devoted wife of almost 36 years, Sharon (Luchitz), his two adoring daughters and their husbands that he loved as his own sons, Tiffany Lively (Michael) and Courtney Cantale (Eric), and his best buddy, five-year-old grandson, Luke Edward Lively, are completely heartbroken at his passing.

He was a proud graduate of Kent Roosevelt High School and the University of South Florida. Since the age of four, Ed always loved sports: both playing and watching. He played on the Rough Riders football and baseball teams, played intramural volleyball, track & field and also played on a basketball team (the Wolfpack) in high school that was coached by his father and went on to play in a national final four tournament. He was a dedicated Cleveland Indians baseball, Cleveland Browns football and South Florida Bulls fan.

Those who knew him well will remember his love of the Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Since the age of 15, he attended their concerts and was also fortunate to meet many of the band members. He even had the nickname of "Mr. Breeze" and boasted about being able to play every single note, perfectly, during the piano solo of the song "Call Me the Breeze" on his car's dashboard.

Ed was profoundly educated in business, was the go-to man for finance related matters and was always willing to help others and share his wealth of knowledge. After a college internship with IBM ended, he was offered to attend law school and then come work for them as a lawyer. Instead, his father encouraged him to return home to Ohio and help start a family business.

"Family Man" is one of the proudest titles Edward ever held. He met his wife Sharon on a blind date – a great one at that. Together, they built a beautiful family and life. Edward said his proudest achievement in life was his two daughters. He never missed a practice, game, school event or commitment to his family, no matter how it may have affected work. He greatly emphasized family time. While living in Florida, he and his wife, at times, took their daughters out of school to attend Spring Training baseball games. The girls would worry about being absent, but he assured them that years down the road, they wouldn't remember the spelling quiz they missed, but they would always remember the time spent together. Boy, was he right. The family was also fortunate to enjoy much traveling in their life together. Ed fondly remembered his favorite trip as being a six-week cross-country road trip their family took when their girls were teenagers.

He was thrilled to be a grandfather and the bond he had with his grandson was "one of a kind." They were two peas in a pod. They enjoyed laughing together, reading stories, playing games, watching Paw Patrol, and drinking lemonade. In his final days, Ed said he would greatly miss watching Luke play and their estimated 15 phone conversations a day.

Edward was also a man of great faith and knowledge about the Bible. He studied it until his death and always said he had no doubt that what it says is true. He faced many trials in his life, some most of us won't come close to facing, but with God's help, he overcame. His favorite biblical story was of the three Hebrews: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and how their faith saved them. He used that example as an inspiration to live out his life, including after his terminal diagnosis.

Words cannot express how deeply he will be missed by his family and his friends. He was the person you could count on to always be there. The one who would help you figure out a plan and made you feel important, especially when you doubted yourself. He was a true friend who always gave the best advice. He was the life of the party and was known for his humor. Even on his last day, he joked with his family and nurses. His friends were from all over the world, from all walks of life, and he was proud to call them such. He found much joy in giving and taught his daughters that they would find fullness by praying for others. He always put his family first and made many sacrifices in life to provide them with a safe, loving home, and an abundance of precious family time. He will be forever remembered as a man of strong faith, an excellent businessman, a man of great integrity and character, a one-of-a-kind friend, the Best Husband, World's Greatest Dad and #1 Papaw.

He is preceded in death by his father Edward A. Martell and his loyal companion, German Shepherd Tachmo. He is survived by his mother Martha S. Martell (of Canal Fulton, OH), mother-in-law Jenny Luchitz (of Canton Township, OH), twin brothers, Michael & Patrick Martell (both of Jackson Township, OH), and many dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Due to the orders from our elected officials surrounding the Coronavirus, the family sadly will be unable to hold the funeral service at this time, though future arrangements will be made. Per Edward's wishes, he will be buried right away.

Fly on Freebird. We love you and already miss you so much.

Rossi (330) 492-5830

www.rossifuneralhomeinc.com