Cabin John Mourns the Passing of Reed Martin
Reed Martin, former resident of Cabin John, passed away on September 30 in memory care at Brookside Potomac at the age of 78. Reed was a longtime fixture in Cabin John, along with his wife Barbara, hosting an annual yard sale at his home on 79th Street, riding his bike, creating his egg tree, leading the annual Fourth of July parade in his Model A Ford, and playing banjo at Glen Echo.
The Village News published a two-part account of Reed’s eclectic life and times in the May and June 2011 issues. Ted Orme’s articles can be found on page 3 in each issue at 2011 May Newsletter – Community of Cabin John, Maryland and 2011 June Newsletter – Community of Cabin John, Maryland. The Washington Post also published an article about Reed and his collections at Collector digs up relics of D.C. hobbies – The Washington Post. Multiple videos on Youtube feature Reed demonstrating his talents on the banjo and the website Bluegrass Today published a tribute, Reed Martin passes – Bluegrass Today. The Martin family is planning a celebration of life at Glen Echo in Spring 2025.
Reed’s numerous friends in the community have shared their memories of him:
For us, Reed (and Barbara) loomed large in community events since we arrived in CJ 24 years ago. They took time to add so many delightful touches, such as leading the CJ July 4 parade in their vintage cars, covering their front dogwood tree with hundreds of plastic eggs of every color every Easter, riding the canal on bicycles built for two, and sharing divided plants from their garden. Long before we had street signs to slow down traffic on 79th, Reed would run after cars himself telling them to slow down as kids were playing. Long before the NextDoor app where we can advertise stuff to give away, Reed would take whatever old furniture we put out (sorry, Barbara).
In more recent years, we could always count on seeing Reed on the canal at any time of day, whatever the weather. In his 80s, he would cycle back and forth from downtime DC several times a day on bikes he cobbled together himself from old parts that looked like something out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Antiques Road Show.
It is no exaggeration or hyperbole to honor Reed as one of a kind. We don’t have a flagpole or I would place it at half mast.
Remembering Reed and Barbara with fondness and awe for their creativity. #Grateful4CJCharacters
Gabrielle Herderschee-Hunter and Han Herderschee
Reed was one of a kind…such a unique and talented guy who loved Cabin John so much.
Lori Rieckelman
I miss Reed too, although I didn’t really know him until we moved from 81st Street to Riverside Drive in 2019. In the relatively short time between moving to our current house through Reed’s going into Brookdale (memory care), we went on spontaneous bike rides together, shared fries at Captin’s Market, sat on his porch while we shared stories or he played some banjo for me, or just paused for a while by the side of the road or towpath and talked about music and Reed’s earlier days. I’m sure my experience was similar to those of so many in Cabin John. What a fascinating and wonderful guy! Here’s a clip from YouTube of Reed playing a short banjo piece (there are others if you look): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVpf4UCmpms
Adam Myers
It is the sad end to an era. Reed Martin was the first person to welcome me into the neighborhood. He followed the moving truck down the street, knocked on the front door, and introduced himself before we started unloading. I will miss him.
Bob Ward
A prolific and creative old time banjo player, Reed took a particular interest in my hobby, playing Irish traditional music. Not only would he join us at our session at the Irish Inn sometimes, he would also come to music parties and jams. A most memorable event was a mighty music party at Toby Thompson’s Log Cabin at the end of Riverside Drive in 2018.
When Covid hit in the spring of 2020 Reed Martin would hang out with us and play music at Lockhouse 8 down by the canal. He would entertain us with stories about Cabin John’s past, play some Old Time tunes and then give us a tour of his eclectic house and banjo (and other stuff) collection.
When I walked the dog along the C&O Canal Reed would often slow down his bike, ride alongside for a long chat and a lot of laughter. I loved the man.
Tina Eck
It is no exaggeration to say that Reed Martin is why we’ve lived in Cabin John for the last 27 years. We had a short window to find housing when a work opportunity prompted a move from Connecticut to the DC region. Among the places we visited, we toured a couple of houses in CJ but did not know much about the area. This was pre-Zillow, pre-Google even!! I called the post office to ask if anyone there would have information about the area, and left my address.
About a week later we received a packet with a handwritten letter and a copy of the Village News. The letter writer extolled the virtues of Cabin John–“friendly neighborhood where people know each other, so close to DC people ride their bikes to work along the canal.” That someone who didn’t even know us would take the time to write and send us a letter was all we needed to know–we were moving to Cabin John.
The letter writer–Reed Martin–and his wife Barbara were the unofficial Mayor and First Lady of Cabin John in our minds, and their examples of community involvement and neighborly spirit set the tone for all of us as we try to carry on those values.
Heidi and Scott Lewis