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Epilogue: Dr. Charles Martin, third-generation dentist in St. Petersburg

 
Dr. Charles "Chuck'' Martin
Dr. Charles "Chuck'' Martin
Published May 25, 2017

Once, as he labored over a patient, dentist Charles "Chuck" Martin made a show of having lost his voice, clearing his throat and rasping

"I've got a frog in my throat," he croaked. "You want to see him?"

He opened wide to show a tiny, green tree frog, hunkered on his tongue.

For 58 years, Dr. Martin cleaned and cared for teeth in St. Petersburg at his family's dental practice, where he followed his grandfather and father into the profession. Three generations of Martin men served the St. Petersburg community through dentistry since 1913. Dr. Martin's whimsy and sense of humor made him beloved by his patients.

"You grow up hearing that people fear the dentist," said Dr. Martin's son, Corydon. "But when you walked into that office, you heard a whole lot of laughter. That was something dad was always really proud of."

Dr. Martin, 83, died of lung cancer on May 1. Throughout his life, he carried on his family's legacy of dentistry in Pinellas County. His personality and practical jokes were notorious, whether he was sneaking out and switching places with his brother, Clyde, while working on a patient, or staging photos where it looked like he was performing dental procedures with construction equipment.

As a boy, Dr. Martin loved the outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout, an avid swimmer and gardener. At the family farm, "Tooth Acres," near Boca Ciega Bay, he spent hours in the sun, planting vegetables, caring for the chickens, pigs, cows and horses and flying down dusty dirt roads on his Cushman motor scooter.

His life centered on the family dental practice, which was started by his grandfather, D.B. Caswell, in 1913. After graduating from St. Petersburg High School, where he was voted "Most Humorous," and Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Martin returned to St. Petersburg to practice dentistry with his father, Charles, and brother, Clyde, at their office at Fifth Avenue N and 20th Street. Dr. Martin often did pro bono dental work for those in need in Pinellas County.

"He loved being a dentist," Corydon said. "He loved taking care of people."

Dr. Martin's wife, Sue, 77, worked as a receptionist for his father. The two met as kids through church and fell in love while working together. They were married for 55 years and had three sons, Jonathan, Joel and Corydon. Dr. Martin took his sons camping and showed them how to garden. They planted pole beans and collard greens and would bring the produce into the office to share with his staff and patients. Once, he hung the Christmas tree from the ceiling so the boys and dogs wouldn't topple it.

Together, Dr. Martin and his wife taught the children's liturgy for 15 years at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and worked at the St. Petersburg Little Theatre. He put his theatricality to good use as an actor and Sue painted sets and dabbed makeup on the players.

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With 59 years of service, Dr. Martin held the record for longest serving member of the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg, but even that was punctuated by his humor. In his application, under former employment, Martin wrote "little boy." Under title, he wrote "supreme being."

After retiring in 2016, he spent time with friends and continued swimming and gardening. Up until he got sick, Martin swam 60 laps a day at the YMCA, where he used the time in the water to reflect and pray. He realized something was wrong when he went for a swim and was exhausted after a handful of laps.

Despite his love of jokes, Dr. Martin was serious about the things that mattered most to him, said his lifelong friend, Dr. John Harrison, an orthodontist in St. Petersburg.

"He was serious about his marriage, serious about his family and serious about his relationship with God," Harrison said.

Contact Taylor Telford at ttelford@tampabay.com or (513) 376-3196. Follow @taylormtelford.