Kit Martin fiercely backed Volusia County Republicans, but her life wasn't just politics

It's no exaggeration to say that when Kit Martin registered as a Republican in Volusia County in 1963, the party was an also-ran.

Democrats had a 4-to-1 voter-registration advantage, and Martin − who would serve on the county's Republican Executive Committee and work as a GOP activist for decades − helped turn that around. In May 2017, when Republicans finally overtook Democrats with more registered voters, she offered a two-word response: "Happy day."

That year, Volusia Republicans selected Martin as the first recipient of the lifetime achievement award, now named for her.

Martin, 96, died on March 26 in her home in Daytona Beach. Her family is hosting a celebration of life gathering at the home, 1514 N. Halifax Ave., from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz wrote of Martin in a tweet: "So proud to have earned the support of the indomitable Kit Martin during my first run for Congress. She made me earn it! She worked tirelessly to turn central Florida red years ago. ... May we all have a life as well lived."

Adriene Miles, the eldest of Martin's five children, said her mom was from "West by God Virginia" and proud of it. Martin was born Catheryn Schmidle and was one of 14 siblings.

She earned degrees from the West Virginia University and Duke University, where she earned a master's degree in physical therapy, later working in that field. Her marriage to Dr. Gilbert Martin lasted 68 years before his death in 2017.

"My mom was not always about politics. She was about integrity, doing the right thing when no one was looking," Miles said.

Miles recalls full-house holidays, with dinner her mom cooked for 35-40 people.

"She was happiest when we were all together," Miles said.

She described Kit Martin the mother as "very tough," demanding that the siblings respect one another.

"My Dad was one of the first orthopedic surgeons in the area and worked a lot of hours, so she had to run the house and was the disciplinarian," Miles said.

But Martin's love of children went beyond her own.

In 1964, she chaired the Sabin Oral Polio Program, which helped eradicate polio in Volusia County. She also served on the board of W.O.R.C. − Work Oriented Rehabilitation Center − in Daytona Beach, where she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for those the organization served, people with disabilities.

In 1991, she was honored for her work with W.O.R.C. by President George H. W. Bush as one of his "Points of Light."

But politics was also a passion, and she was part of a group of activists who helped line up and support conservative candidates.

One of those causes was managing the campaign of underdog Dick Graham in attempting to unseat longtime incumbent Democrat Sam Bell for a Florida House seat in 1988. Martin's strategy was a door-to-door campaign and it helped a Volusia County Republican win a seat in Tallahassee for the first time in the 20th century.

It was one of the links in the chain that led to Volusia's transformation from blue to red.

"Mom wanted to make a difference and she did," Miles said. "She touched a lot of people's lives. Actually, she was a force to be reckoned with."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kit Martin, Volusia County Republican Party advocate, dies at 96