Dana Martin, 79

Dana Landale Martin, 79, passed away peacefully following a brief illness Saturday, July 11, 2026, at his home in Sandpoint, Idaho. A celebration of life will be held Sept. 12 at Beyond Hope Resort.

Dana was born Dec. 17, 1946, in Roanoke, Va., to Thor and Elsa Martin. He was raised in Ridgewood, N.J. Dana began his love of pole vaulting by riding his bike back and forth, gathering wood chips in plastic bags to bring home to make his own pole vaulting pit. He later attended New Hampton Preparatory School, where he excelled as a pole vaulter. He continued his education at the University of Denver, where he played lacrosse, earned a degree in business, and served in the United States Army Reserves. Dana loved coaching youth lacrosse and soccer.

A gifted entrepreneur, designer and builder, Dana owned a successful real estate business in the Ketchum and Sun Valley area before pursuing his passion for designing and constructing marinas and boat docks. His innovative work earned him an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Award for the design and construction of the dock at Redfish Lake in 2002.

Dana first made Sandpoint his home in 1972, living here until 1988 before relocating to Seattle to expand his dock-building business and construct foundations for floating homes on Lake Union in Seattle. Never one to stop innovating, he invented a marine fender made by pressing together recycled tires, creating a durable and practical solution for the marine industry, convincing the Port of Tampa that they needed his product and coming back to the West Coast to construct it before having it driven across the country to be installed. He returned to Sandpoint in 1992, where he continued building docks and marine construction throughout the region, including the Hope Marina and Beyond Hope Resort.  

Dana was the long-time owner of the Black Rock in Ponderay, beginning the process of buying the property in 1977, the same day he and his then-wife, Janice, welcomed their son, Joel. He recently sold the property to the city of Ponderay to ensure it could be enjoyed by the community and provide public access for the future.

In 2001, he began a 25-year romance and life filled with love and adventure with Jody. They married in 2006. Jody and Dana enjoyed going to Palm Desert in the winter months to play golf, ride their bikes and be in the sun. He recently made his first trip to Hawaii with Jody, having a wonderful time.

Above all, Dana loved people. He had a gift for conversation, enjoyed getting to know others, and was a natural storyteller whose tales entertained family and friends alike. Dana was a jokester and had a gift for well-timed puns and one-liners. He also found great joy in golfing, boating, sailing, fly fishing, working crossword puzzles, and cheering on his favorite sports teams.

Dana is survived by his beloved wife, Jody Martin of Sandpoint; his children, Joel (Yuan) Martin of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Bevan Martin (Rich Wall) of Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; his stepsons, James (Lori) Bopp, Nicholaus Bopp and Joseph (Alicia) Bopp, all of Sandpoint; his grandchildren, Elsa Wall, Lily Bopp, James Bopp, Eli Brewster, Kaila Brewster and Haley Ledford; his brothers, Geoff Martin of New York City and Eric Martin (Julie Gardinier) of Copake, N.Y.; and his sister, Alix Martin of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Memorial donations may be made in Dana's memory to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (cerebralpalsyfoundation.org) in honor of his beloved granddaughter, Elsa, who lives with cerebral palsy, or the American Cancer Society.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Dana’s online memorial at lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.