Martin Winch ’66

Martin died Nov. 26, 2025, in Portland, Ore., after a battle with mesothelioma.

Born in Portland, Martin graduated from Portsmouth Priory, in Portsmouth, R.I., where he edited the literary magazine and yearbook, sang with the glee club and ran cross country.

At Princeton, he majored in history and was president of the Footnotes. After graduating, he joined VISTA and worked with migrant laborers in Texas.

In 1971, he earned a law degree and married Carolyn. The couple moved to Tumalo, Ore., where Martin worked for the Tumalo Irrigation District. In 1980, he wrote a history of the project, “Tumalo, Thirsty Land,” published in Oregon Historical Quarterly.

He and Carolyn founded the Deschutes Independent School, in Redmond, Ore. Working with the Deschutes Basin Land Trust, Martin dedicated himself to restoring Whychus Creek, in honor of which he wrote Biography of a Place: Passages Through a Central Oregon Meadow.

In the 1990s, he was executive director of Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Northwest, in Portland.

Diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2023, he survived long enough to care for Carolynn in her final year.

He is survived by his companion, Patricia Bradley; children, Paula and Peter; and three grandchildren. The class sends its condolences.