Darrell Francis Martin passed away Saturday, May 18, 2024, one month short of his 94th birthday. Born June 21, 1930 to Elmer and Ella Martin he lived his entire life in the Eel River Valley. His early years were spent in Grizzly Bluff attending grammar school at the one-room Grizzly Bluff School. He attended Ferndale High School where he excelled in sports all four years, graduating in 1949 and winning the Most Outstanding Senior Athlete award along with fellow classmate Bob Mathews. They were the first recipients of this perpetual trophy award which is still presented to the most outstanding senior athlete. In 1947, while in his junior year, Darrell married his highschool sweetheart Deah Stanley.

Upon graduation he attended Barber School in San Francisco and in 1952 came back to Ferndale to join Ernest (Doc) Reed in his barber shop on Main Street. In the early 1960’s Darrell opened his own shop, “Darrell’s Barber Shop ” where he spent a total of 40 years barbering in Ferndale. Darrell continued to be an active sports enthusiast his entire life either participating, coaching or as a spectator. In the early 1960s Darrell and Charlie Goff successfully applied for a Pop Warner football charter and along with a number of other young fathers coached the first Pop Warner football teams in Ferndale. He later did the same with Little League Baseball. He continued to support Ferndale athletes throughout his life and in 2004 he and Deah were named “Boosters of the Year.”

During his barbering years Darrell also found time on his days off to sell insurance for State Farm and later travel the northern part of the state doing insurance inspections for the California Insurance Group. When Darrell retired in 1992 he donated the entire contents of his shop including the barber pole to the Ferndale Museum, where the shop was recreated and is now one of the museum’s most popular exhibits.

Darrell was an active member of the community, serving over 40 years on the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Ferndale Elementary School, was a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, The Ferndale Museum and a lifelong member and shareholder in the Redwood Empire Golf and Country Club, where he frequented the course twice a week in his retirement years.

Darrell is survived by his wife of 76 years, Deah; his four sons Larry, Duane, Ron and Rick (Debbie) Martin; his grandchildren Lisa Kristic (Scott), Gregory Martin (Heidi), Libby Charlton (Gabe), and Asa Martin; his great-grandchildren Seth Kristic, Molly Bartlett (Nick), Noah, Fiona and Oliver Martin, Corbin Martin and Aubrey Charlton.

He was preceded in death by his parents Elmer (Nip) Martin and Ella Martin, his brother Lloyd and sister-in-law Betty Martin. Memorial contributions in Darrell’s name may be made to: Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department P.O. Box 485 Ferndale, CA Ferndale Museum P.O. Box 431 Ferndale, CA.