Bernard M. Martin
Wallpaper salesman
Bernard Murray Martin, a wallpaper salesman who gave frequently of his time and money to social-service organizations, died Friday of pancreatic cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 58.
For more than 40 years, Mr. Martin ran Martin's Wallpaper in Baltimore, an affiliate of his family's business in Massachusetts. In the early '80s, he closed the business and went to work for Atlas Wallcovering of New Jersey, for which he worked until his death.
"He devoted his life in subtle ways to social services," said his daughter-in-law, Nancy Martin. "He did volunteer work for many organizations. He was the very first person to help out in a situation, in any way."
A trustee of the Beth El Congregation, Mr. Martin was also past president of the Beth El Men's Club. He was former Chancellor Commander of the Jacob Sandy Knights of Pythias 152 and was a director of the Jewish National Fund in Baltimore. He also did volunteer work with the Mildred Mindell Cancer Foundation, the Boy Scouts and worked with the homeless through Beth El.
"He was a mensch," Ms. Martin said, using the Yiddish term for a caring and honorable person. "He made everyone feel welcome. That's why there are 600 people in his home. There are so many friends here, they can't fit in the house."
Mr. Martin, a native of Worcester, Mass., attended Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Beth El Synagogue, 8101 Park Heights Ave.
Mr. Martin is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Jewel Fisher; a daughter, Sharon Martin of Pikesville; a son, Gary Martin, of New York; his mother, Bess Martin, of Brookline, Mass.; two sisters, Lois Martin, of Brookline, and Helen Corman of Randolph, Mass., and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations can be made to the Mildred Mindell Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 32030, Pikesville, Md. 21208.
P. Reed Wills McDonagh, retired deputy director of the Maryland Environmental Service and a former president of the Board of Charles County Commissioners, died Thursday of diabetes complications at the Meridian Nursing Center-Spa Creek in Annapolis.
Mr. McDonagh, who was 70 and had lived in Annapolis for a decade, retired about five years ago from the state job he had held since 1970.
A Democrat who had lived in LaPlata for many years, he was president of the commissioner board from 1966 to 1970. Earlier, he operated the Thomas P. McDonagh Chevrolet dealership founded by his father, and, from 1959 to 1965, was a trial magistrate.
Born in Bel Alton, he was a graduate of the Sacred Heart School in LaPlata and of St. Joseph's Military Academy in Hayes, Kan. He attended Georgetown University on a track scholarship, competed in discus, high jump and broad jump events.
During World War II, he served in the Army Air Forces as a bomber pilot and instructor.
He was fond of sailing his 41-foot ketch, which he kept at Edgewater.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in LaPlata.
His first wife, the former Annie L. Wilson, died in 1977.
He is survived by his wife, the former Pamela R. Bryant; a son, Philip R. W. McDonagh Jr. of LaPlata; four daughters, Theresa E. Fortier of Hudson, Wis., Janice A. Kuhn of Owings, Donna L. Crossman of Richmond, Va., and Jill M. Cooksey of Hughesville; two brothers, Thomas P. McDonagh Jr. of West Hartford, Conn., and Joseph M. McDonagh of Waldorf; four sisters, Mary Louise Griffin of North Haven, Conn., Theresa Viglione of Matamoras, Pa., Cecelia M. Petri of LaPlata and Barbara A. Walker of St. Paul, Minn.; and 10 grandchildren.
Clarence Williams
Hospital worker
Clarence E. Williams, a retired hospital worker, died of internal bleeding Nov. 5 at a hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. The former Baltimore resident was 68.
He was an orderly at University and Maryland General hospitals here before moving to Brooklyn in 1980. He worked at several New York hospitals before retiring in 1991.
Known as "Uncle Brother," he grew up in South Baltimore and was a graduate of Carver Vocational-Technical High School. He served in the Army and Navy. He sang in the choir of the Leadenhall and Mount Olive Baptist churches in Brooklyn, where he also was a member.
Services will be held at 5 p.m. today at Brown's Funeral Home, 1913 W. Baltimore St., with interment tomorrow in Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, Owings Mills.
He is survived by a sister, Catherine L. Tate of Baltimore; five nephews; a niece; and a special friend, Donald Beckett of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hayward Alexander
Electrical contractor
Hayward Alexander, who owned an electrical contracting firm, died Tuesday of cancer at the Northwest Medical Center. He was 58.
The Northwest Baltimore resident founded Alexander's Electronics in 1976. Earlier, he was a bus driver for the Washington Metro system.
Born in Elberton, Ga., and reared in Baltimore's Cherry Hill section, he was a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. He served with an Army medical unit in Germany from 1953 to 1956.
"He hired former drug addicts and criminals and taught them how to become electricians. He even paid their tuition to school," said his daughter, Denise Alexander Tucker of Silver Spring. "He was also known for his generosity toward schools and churches, where he did free electrical installations."
He was a member and trustee of the Campfield African Methodist Episcopal Church and was active in Masonic affairs.
His 1956 marriage to Anita Lokeman ended in divorce.
A wake is planned for 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, followed by a funeral at noon at Mount Zion Methodist Church, 3050 Liberty Heights Ave.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife of 19 years, the former Nancy Davis; a stepdaughter, Traci Robinson of Baltimore; his mother, Janie Alexander of Baltimore; three brothers, Charles Alexander of Pomona, Calif., and Karl Alexander and Michael Alexander, both of Baltimore; two sisters, Eleanor Powell and Peggy Johnson, both of Baltimore; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer LTC Society, P.O. Box 43025, Baltimore 21236-0025.
Barry Bernard Woodlon, 35, who operated an Ellicott City barbershop, died Tuesday at Northwest Hospital Center of undetermined causes after collapsing at his home in the Milford section of Baltimore County.
A Glen Burnie native, Mr. Woodlon began cutting friends' hair while a student at Andover High School. Survivors include his wife, the former Dianna Kelly; a son, Barry Woodlon of Milford; three daughters, Karrie E. Woodlon and Kahlilia Woodlon of Milford and Bria Carter of Glen Burnie; his parents, William H. and Ellen W. Woodlon of Glen Burnie; a brother, Jeffrey Woodlon of Baltimore; and four sisters, Windy Leftwich of New Jersey, Wanda Cox of Morgantown, W.Va., and Sara Reid and Jill Blandon, both of Glen Burnie.
Services were held Friday at Locust United Methodist Church in Columbia.
Georgia A. Plummer
Waitress
Georgia A. Plummer, 76, a former Baltimore resident and waitress in Woodsfield, Ohio, died Wednesday at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Services are to be held at 2 p.m. today at the Watters Funeral Home in Woodsfield.
Mrs. Plummer, who was widowed twice, is survived by two daughters, Sandra Wedderien of Baltimore and Patricia Lewis of Woodsfield; two sons, Harold Shipp of Lewisville, Ohio, and Richard Shipp of Moundsville, W.Va.; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She also is survived by three brothers, Kenneth and Walter Smith, both of Fair Chance, Pa., and Ernest Smith of St. Angelo, Texas.