Martin Luther Nesbitt, Jr.
September 25, 1946 ~ March 6, 2014
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Martin Luther Nesbitt, Jr., 67, passed away Thursday, March 6, 2014.
A native of Buncombe County, he was the son of the late Martin L. Nesbitt, Sr. and Mary Cordell Nesbitt.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Deane S. Nesbitt; son, Martin Nesbitt and his wife Lisa, of Swannanoa and their daughter Taylor; step-son, Chad Nesbitt and his wife Nancy, of Leicester and their daughter Savannah; and his sister, Mary Ann Dotson-Silvey and her husband Bill, of Lake Lure and her children, Mac, Tony, Kenneth and LeAnn Dotson.
Martin graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School and received his BA and JD Degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He returned home to form a law practice in which he remained active until his death. In 1979, he was appointed to replace his Mother in the NC House of Representatives and with exception of one term, he served the constituents of Western North Carolina, first in the House and then in the Senate for 31 years.
A celebration of his life is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Biltmore Baptist Church. The family will receive friends for two hours prior to the service at the church. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center), 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803-2868.
Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting the family.
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Chad, Nancy and family. Our sincerest condolences on your Loss. Our continued prayers for your family. We ask God to send his blessings for you during this tough time. God is here for comfort, ask and he will bring you peace.
Mart and Lisa, I was shocked when I found out about the loss of your father. I enjoyed knowing him through our racing family and always loved talking politics with him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. My God bless you all. I know he was proud of Taylor and her racing success. Huggs……Barb Saunders
My thoughts and prayers are your family during this most difficuit time! Marin will always be remembered and loved!
My condolences; I’m sorry for the lost of your loved one, Mr.Nesbitt. May you and your Family find comfort in the Bible promise at, John 5:28,29, ‘Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out….to a resurrection of life.’ The Holy Bible also speaks of a time when death will be no more, Revelation 21:4, ‘And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’ I hope this helps some at this difficult time.
Martin, We are very sorry to here about your Dad. He was a great guy and helped a lot of people. Enjoyed that year I helped you and him on the car.You were really blessed that you guys got to race together as a family and enjoy for all those years. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless
Words cannot express the sadness in my heart that Mr. Nesbitt has passed. Yet he goes on as the memory of love can never be taken away. His service to mankind still goes on as we see in the results for both education and healthcare. An unselfish affable man his life goes on. May you his family be comforted with the love that those whose life he touched known and unknown now share.
Truly, we raise our voices to shot, well done thou good and faithful servant!
May God’s eternal everlasting love give you comfort. I know Mr. Nesbitt now rests in peace in Jesus’ arms. God Bless
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Martin, we are so sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing. He was such a tremendous, well respected man. I know how close you were and that is a blessing that will afford you many wonderful memories. Know we are sending prayers for you and your family. He will always be with you.
God bless
To Senator Nesbitt’s family,
The loss of Martin seems like loosing a family member. As long as I can remember, he was fighting for Buncombe and Western North Carolina.
He always had a friendly smile, a nice hello, and an open ear to listen.
Martin can never be replaced, but will always be in our memory as a fighter for everyone and the good of our Country. My thoughts and prayers are with the
family at this sad time.
Blessings
It was with great sadness I learned of the Loss of Sen. Nesbitt, Martin was a Friend of the North Carolina Register of Deeds Assoc. he was instrumental in the passage of several bills that help all Register of deeds across North Carolina. He was indeed a Friend of mine and I will not forget what he has done for all of North Carolina. May you find comfort in knowing he was loved by many and respected by all that knew him, rest my friend,
Martin and I were classmates scholastically and teammates in basketball at Reynolds High School in 1963>1964. Both of our Dads were school Principals and both of our parents’ families grew up together in Fairview. So, the Nesbitt and Huntley families go back a long way. This is a great loss to the Asheville community and the state as a whole. To Martin’s family, my deepest sympathy. Until we meet again Martin, so long.
Hi I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I am a local bible student and there is a very comforting scripture at Isaiah 25:8 that says soon Jehovah will swallow up death forever and he will wipe away all of the tears. So we can all look forward to a time when death will be no more. I hope that this scripture can bring some true comfort during these difficult times.
My thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Deane Nesbitt and family. Senator Nesbitt was a great champion for all North Carolinians, including people with different abilities, the poor, and people with disadvantages. His smile, friendly attitude and being a ‘doer’ will always stay with all of us who knew him , and work with him. Respectfully.
Sincere sympathy to Martin’s family. He was a good friend and a senator who made a difference for Western North Carolina. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Martin what a pleasure it was to know you as a friend before you were part of our family. We will always be in your debt for all you did for the citizens of Buncombe County. May god bless your family and all your friends who will miss you so very much.
All of us at MCS Auctions extend our deepest sympathies to his family and co-workers. We lost a very dedicated, long-time friend and customer. There will be no goodbyes…. He will remain in our memories & hearts forever. Comfort will be found in prayer and friendship. Sharing in your sorrow…. Rest in Peace Martin
Martin, it was such a pleasure to get to see and talk with you at the Law office. You were always such a warm gentleman and you knew how to get things done. I know you will be greatly missed by family, friends, employees and constituents. May you rest sweet and send peace in abundance for those left here to carry on.
May you find peace knowing your Dad has seen the face of Jesus!!! Praying for comfort for your family during this difficult time. May you know your Dad was very appreciated and admired here in his home town/state!!!
Our love to you all!!
Mitch, Cindy and Austin Tate
Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with you during this time of your loss.
Rest in Peace.
My deepest sympathy to the Senator’s family, He was a great champion for all of North Carolina. Rest in Peace.
I will always remember Martin as a good and faithful friend.
I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Martin Nesbitt, he used to come into the cleaners where i worked and it was a pleaaure to see his smiling face. He was very nice & he always got my vote. Again im sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace
Long time friend and fellow Democrat, Martin Nesbitt will be miss. My condolences to the family
Nesbitt Family, Senator first visited our home on a hunting trip on Lake Mattamuskeet Hyde Co. He was a great public servant from the mts to the coast. We mourn the lost too, thanks to your family for sharing him with the people of the great state of North Carolina. May he rest in peace to a high service. Anthony ^& Janet Russ, Fairfield
I knew Martin in a different way than many of you, as the proud father of Mart Nesbitt, the race car driver. As the Director of Registration for the Pro Cup Series, it was my pleasure to sign Martin in many times. As a former Asheville native, I felt a bond with Martin and his family. I always enjoyed my time spent with Martin and extend my condolences to all of you who will miss him as I do.
Mary Ann; Mrs. Nesbitt and family: I knew Butch when he was a teenager skiing at Lake Lure in the summer. His father and mother were my Uncle Martin and Aunt Mary (I am the grandson of Roy and Carrie Nesbitt Boykin). I spent many summers at the Nesbitt lake house and with Butch when I was but a teenager to be. The Senator to be, Mary Ann and their parents were always great to be with and they had some cool boats. Butch even taught me how to dive off the bridge without hitting the rocks. As a government official myself (City Manager for 33 years before retiring) I had always hoped to contact my cousin and rekindle some old memories. Waited too long. God Bless you Butch you were good to me when you didn’t have to be at an early age. Mary Ann and family may you be consoled by the tremendous legacy and friends that he leaves behind and know that he truly is in a better place and that cannot be said for a lot of today’s politicians. He was always one of the good guys. Frank Roberts