Kaitlin Jade Martin

Kaitlin Jade Martin, 25, of Chattanooga died Sunday, November 22, 2020 in Woodstock, GA tragically taken by an impaired driver.

Kaitlin was born on April 23, 1995, in Chattanooga, to Lt. Gary R. and Lisa (McDowell) Martin.

She graduated from East Hamilton High School. Kaitlin graduated with honors from Chatt State with an associate’s degree in journalism. She was an event coordinator for High Road and an editor for Concert Hopper.

Kaitlin loved the arts, especially photography; she was a gifted guitarist; she enjoyed cooking and had a wonderful palette. She also enjoyed hiking, camping and kayaking.

Kaitlin lived to help others, she was a cornerstone for her friends, whom she had many all over the country. She strived to help others at Camp Kulabunga in Michigan, where they encouraged everyone to “be the best you can be.”

She is survived by her parents, Lt. Gary R. and Lisa Martin; grandparents, Judy and Melvin McDowell of Chattanooga, and Frances Jenkins of Chattanooga; aunts, Karen McDowell of Ooltewah, Karen (Glenn) Gass of Chattanooga, and Debra (Lonnie) Essex of Virginia; an uncle, Lt. Brian McDowell of Chattanooga; and her cousins, Drew, Ashlyn, and Abbey McDowell, Nicholas Gass, and Cassie Essex.

Kaitlin is preceded in death by her great-grandparents, Cynthia Tripp, James Monroe Tripp, and Willie McVeigh; and her grandfather, Ray Jenkins.

A funeral service will be held at 1 PM on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at Heritage Funeral Home East Brainerd Chapel. A burial will follow at Beautiful Greenwood Cemetery in Chattanooga. Pallbearers will be City of Chattanooga Police Department Traffic/DUI Unit.

Per CDC guidelines, facial coverings and social distancing will be observed.

A visitation will be held from 5 to 8 PM, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Rd. Chattanooga, TN 37421.

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