Martin Brian Roberts

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Martin Brian Roberts, Friday, September 11, 2026, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was one week shy of his 70th birthday. Martin had been struggling with many health issues, which began in 2015. On September 3rd, 2025, Martin was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he fought with faith, strength, courage, patience, and laughter. Martin was at home during his last moments, happily snuggling his dear love. His final words, said with a smile before taking his last breath, were, “I’m feeling a little lazy today.”

Martin was born on Sept 18th, 1956, in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, England. In 1968, his family made the long journey to immigrate to Canada, which is where he lived out his life. In 1996, feeling lost and unsure, Martin moved overseas to discover his Irish roots. Although Ireland could not be his home, he did find many pieces of himself during his two-year journey. To Martin, Ireland was home. In 1998, Martin returned to Canada to reunite with his children, whom he missed dearly. Shortly after returning on New Year’s Eve in 1999, just minutes before midnight, Martin fell in love with Janice Butz. They were married on St. Patrick’s Day in 2001. Martin soon discovered that home was wherever Janice was, surrounded by those they loved. He spent the remainder of his life happily rooted in Calgary with her.

Called to a life of humour, Martin sought to bring a smile to people everywhere he went—be it as a taxicab driver, a manager at Calgary HandiBus, a bartender, apartment/storage manager or as a friend, a father, and a husband.

Long before meeting Janice, Martin discovered the Kinsmen Club of Stampede City where he dedicated much of his time giving back to the community. During this time, Martin discovered his people who appreciated him for all that he was. The time he spent with the club were some of the most memorable and fulfilling moments in his life. Eventually, he sweet-talked Janice into joining the Kinette Club of Stampede City so that he could share his passion with her. Together, they travelled across Canada enjoying the company of fellow members and sharing their many talents wherever they landed.

Driven by a deep Christian faith, Martin spent his life helping and defending others. He worked early on with the Christian Counterfeit Project to help free women from the sex trade, and later served as a moderator in the spirituality section of Unexplained-Mysteries.com. There, he offered support and hope to people in despair while actively protecting the community by standing up to cult recruiters. A gifted researcher with a relentless curiosity, Martin was a master at deeply investigating whatever captured his interest.

And now, “with lots of humour, of course,” as requested in his will, we’d like to share that there was great debate amongst the eleven souls that sat in the funeral director’s office as to who exactly Martin was and where exactly Martin came from. Approximately eleven birthplaces were argued, with varying degrees of certainty, and most were surprised to discover that his name—Martin Brian John Patrick Haughey Roberts—had been substantially inflated over the years. Never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story, Martin spun a great many tales, leaving those who knew him shaking their heads and chuckling.

Martin is lovingly remembered by his wife, Janice, and her three children (his bonus children) Cassidy (Aman), Grant (Debbie), and Courtney; Nancy (his bonus sister), his long lost daughter Kris; his former wife, Kathleen, and their children, Tammy (Chris), Jennifer, and Christopher. Included in his legacy are 9 grandchildren; Joden, Christian, Kye, Jory, Garen, Orin, Kai, Bodhi, Lainey, and one great grandchild, Owen. He will also be missed by his brothers, John (Janice), and Tony (Lois), and his other bonus sisters, Mona (Andy), Brenda (James), and Sandra.

Martin was predeceased by his mother, Mary Ann Roberts (Haughey), father, Malcolm Brian Roberts, brother Malcolm, and grandchild Luca.

Martin was a good man, a generous, kind-hearted soul who practised forgiveness. He was an amazing cook, a storyteller, a man of faith, a traveller, an adventure seeker, a jokester, and a prankster. He brightened so many lives. He will be missed. So much.

Please join us to celebrate the very rich life of Martin Roberts at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26th , 2026 at the Dover Community Association, which is located in Calgary, Alberta at 3133 30 Ave SE, T2B 0G9. We ask that you dress in colourful attire to help us celebrate Martin’s legacy, as this is what he would have wanted. The service is open to anyone who can fondly recall one of Martin’s bad dad jokes (or has mercifully forgotten). Lol.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to KinCanada at https://www.d4kin.ca/foundation

Please select “Stampede City Kinsmen Club” as the designated club for donation