Dennis Michael Martin

Dennis Martin, 83, died peacefully at home in Tacoma, WA on January 3, 2025. A beloved, respected English professor, he is survived by his wife Gloria, sons Andrew and Michael, and grandchildren Yukiko, Kai, Phoenix, and Olivia. 

He grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, the son of Edward Martin and Agnes Wright Martin and brother of Tom Martin and Linda Martin Heinl. Dennis attended high school at Cathedral Prep in Erie and got his undergraduate degree from Edinboro State College, Edinboro, PA. Dennis graduated from Purdue University in Indiana with a Master’s degree and from UCLA with a PhD. 

Over his long career, he taught at Purdue University, UCLA, Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and for 36 years at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, serving there also as Faculty President and Humanities Dean. Over the years, Dennis and Gloria taught January classes to PLU students in London and Paris, focusing on theater, classical music, ballet, and the sights and literature of the cities they visited. 

They spent 28 summers in their cottage in France, in the Dordogne region, where they made close friends. Dennis and Gloria traveled abroad and in the US every year for 23 years with Pacific Northwest friends to celebrate birthdays. This yearly tradition, which Dennis initiated, will continue. To the very last class he taught at PLU in 2012, Dennis enjoyed teaching. He was also grateful for the many dear friends he made, colleagues and students, in an academic environment that encouraged friendships with people across the disciplines. The family will talk with friends to find a time and location for an informal gathering to remember Dennis.