Commander Charles Martin "Marty" Kaelin

Commander Charles Martin "Marty" Kaelin passed away peacefully in his home in Austin, Texas on October 6th, 2024. Marty was just a few weeks shy of his 77th birthday. He died as he lived - exactly as he wanted to!

Marty was born October 18, 1947, to Ida Louise Walters Kaelin and Louis Carl Kaelin. He was the oldest of two sons. In his younger years, Marty learned to love golfing. It became a great pastime he was able to share with his children in later years. His parents owned Kaelin Grocery in McGregor and Marty worked at the store throughout high school and college, often coming home on the weekends from college just so he could help at the family store. That was Marty – always going the extra mile to help where needed, never asking for anything in return. Selfless. Honorable. Kind. Humble. Resolute. Good. Those words are the epitome of who he was.

According to lifelong friend Betty Pebbles, one of her fondest memories of Marty was the day all the high school boys received their first slide rule. Betty states, "Marty and his friends thought they were like Sir Lancelot with their slide rules. They were going to rule the world!" Marty graduated from McGregor High School and went on to graduate from Texas A&M University in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. After graduating, one of Marty’s favorite traditions he carried on was attending the annual A&M bonfire and going to an Aggie football game with loved ones. And you could always count on him for a good Aggie joke! He did his best to indoctrinate all his children regarding the joys of being an Aggie. He was thrilled when his youngest daughter Wallace Abbot became an Aggie majoring in mathematics. She was the only child to follow in her father’s footsteps by attending Texas A&M. He loved Texas A&M so much he wanted to paint his house in Aggie Maroon. His wife declined to live in an Aggie Maroon house, but he was always extremely proud of being an Aggie.

When Marty graduated from Texas A&M it was the height of the Vietnam War. His lottery number was 5 so he knew he would be drafted. After consulting his father and uncles, all of whom served during WWII, Marty expressed his desire to serve his country. He wanted to fly and made the decision to join the Navy.

There were three things that Marty loved more than anything - he loved God, he loved his family, and he loved flying. As a close fourth – he loved the Dallas Cowboys. As a naval aviator, Marty had many adventures and enjoyed sharing his "Flyboy" stories. He traveled all over the world and flew in 61 different types of aircraft over the lifetime of his naval career, receiving many awards and medals for his service to his country – none of which he ever spoke about. During his time in the Navy, he went on to receive a Master's Degree in Electronic Warfare and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. When his children asked him what his Masters thesis was on his response was, “I couldn’t tell you because it’s still classified,” and gave them a little smirk. He was truly brilliant and was in the top 1% of the world as a test pilot in the Navy. You couldn’t watch a movie with military air combat without him commenting on how “it’s really done.” He lit up whenever sharing stories about his Navy days – he loved being in the air.

Marty had two call signs while in the Navy. Depending on which command he was flying for he was known as “Magic” or “Magpie.” During his deployments at sea, he enjoyed making hook rugs and reading. Until his last days, he always had a stack of new books close by. When his oldest daughter was 7 years old she was upset her Dad was leaving home and would be gone for so long. She didn't understand why he had to go. Marty explained he loved her and his country so much he was willing to die for his country so that she and all the other little girls out there could be free.

Upon retirement from the Navy, Marty was fortunate to have many opportunities. His family was excited about going overseas when he announced the only place he was going was to McGregor, Texas. His heart was always Texan and he was very excited to be returning home. He went on to work at Hercules, where they built rockets and missiles. When Hercules was sold to Raytheon, Marty went into the tech industry, working as an Engineer, making semiconductors for computer chips at Applied Materials. After retiring from Applied Materials, he became a principal for an oil and gas company where he spent his time improving operations, consulting, and most importantly, working with the people he loved.

Marty Kaelin was an amazing father, friend, and "Big Daddy" to his grandchildren. If you were a friend of Marty Kaelin you knew you could call him at any time and he’d be there regardless of the time of day. “I’m on my way,” would always be his reply. He volunteered with the Boy Scouts, provided free math tutoring, and mentored many young people. It was a normal occurrence for local high school or college kids to be at his house receiving help from Marty.

Above all, Marty Kaelin was an amazing father. He had five children – 3 sons and 2 daughters. He had a keen intellect, was driven, and was always ready to help his children. He was careful with advice and direction, always wanting his children to learn to make their own decisions and figure their own way while knowing he would be there for them. He let them fall but was there to help clean the scrapes and tend the bruises. Most importantly, Marty was present – never missing a baseball game, a basketball game, a vocal performance, a golf tournament, a soccer game, a graduation, or anything his children participated in. He taught his children to have a strong work ethic, to work hard, to be a good person, and to strive for excellence in all they did. He taught them to love one another and to love others. He loved each of them with all his heart. This love and presence continued with his grandchildren. He loved them dearly and cherished the time he had with each one.

As a boy growing up with no sisters and then having three sons, Marty was thrilled when he finally had a granddaughter. Kassia Jones had her Big Daddy twisted around her little finger. It was hilarious to hear Marty and his military friends discussing the best place to buy princess dresses and tiaras for Kassia. He loved taking Kassia to breakfast and teaching her multiplication. He loved being Big Daddy, and being with all of his grandchildren brought him joy and light. It’s what gave him his greatest purpose in his last years.

Marty had a strong sense of honor, of family, and of friendship. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had a strong testimony of Christ and the Atonement. There is no better man a person could have known in this life. Marty did everything he wanted to do in life. It was a life well lived. His life is celebrated and he will be missed dearly. “Until we meet again, dear father, husband, friend, and Big Daddy.” He is survived by his wife of 39 years, his 5 children, and his beloved grandchildren. Per Marty’s wishes, he is being cremated and a simple graveside service will be held on Saturday, November 23, at The Old Crawford Cemetery at 1:00 pm.