Douglas Craig Martin, 64, of Niles, Illinois, passed away at home in the arms of his loving wife and son, due to malignant metastatic melanoma that spread to his brain.

Born to Dr. Jack W. Martin and Helen (nee Hubbard) Martin, he grew up in Arlington Heights and attended Arlington High School where he was very active in sports, theater, and speech and debate. Doug majored in theater at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated in 1981. His love of the arts carried through his entire life, both professionally and recreationally.

While at Trinity University, Doug married Laura (nee Smith) Shermer and had a son, Andrew, in 1981. Doug moved to Niles, Illinois, in 1990, where he later married the love of his life, Michele (nee Harker) Mueller in 2002, and gained two step-sons, Matthew and Michael Mueller.

Working for CNA Insurance as their Event Marketing Director, Doug initiated the company’s Sports Marketing Department and planned their grand centennial celebration in 1997 at Grant Park and Navy Pier. He went on to work for District 214 school district, in Arlington Heights, as Community Events Coordinator. While there, he taught a continuing education course on classic films and was on the board of booking musical programs for the Forest View Concert Series. Most recently, Doug worked as an election judge at his local polling place.

Doug was an accomplished home chef, who created delicious recipes and, in his last several years, turned his attention towards mastering the art of smoking foods. He even participated as a guest teammate in a BBQ competition, with his team finishing 10th out of 51 teams in June of 2018.

Doug was a sports lover and star athlete, coaching several teams, including company-sponsored softball and his son’s Little League. He loved playing flag football as a young adult, earning his nickname, “Sackman,” while playing for his team, “The Mutants.”

Doug was an active traveler, visiting the majority of the U.S. states, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, and several European nations. As an avid scuba diver, he visited Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, and most often, Isla Mujeres. He became a “destination expert” for Trip Advisor, giving advice to hundreds of travelers about how to best enjoy “his island.”

Doug was the devoted husband of Michele Martin; caring father of Andrew Martin and step-father of Matthew and Michael Mueller; step-grandfather of Madison, Ellie, and Mike Mueller, and Elena and Bella; loving son of Jack and Helen Martin; brother of Elizabeth (nee Martin) Sale; brother-in-law of James Sale, Kristen Harker-Zint, and Steve Harker; uncle of Alexandria and Eliot Sale; step-uncle to Tyler and Justin Zint; he is preceded in death by his sister, Lori Martin and brother-in-law, Gerald “Larry” Graves.

Family and friends are invited to share their stories and memories of Doug at a viewing being held from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. CST, on March 4, 2023, at Olson Burke-Sullivan Funeral & Cremation Center, 6467 N Northwest Hwy, Chicago, IL 60631; (773) 774-3333.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to https://www.gofundme.com/f/dmartin216-memorial in his memory, which will go toward supporting non-profit & conservation organizations in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.