I Hope You Had the Time of your Life, Kade Martin
Kade Martin, 25, of Chattanooga, Tennessee died Sunday, November 22, 2020 in Woodstock, GA tragically taken by an impaired driver.
Kade was born on April 23, 1995, in Chattanooga to Lt. Gary R. and Lisa (McDowell) Martin.
They graduated from East Hamilton High School. Kade graduated with honors from Chattanooga State Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Journalism.
They were a Community Manager for High Road Craft Ice Cream, where they even had a hand in creating a signature flavor for GRiZ - DJ, songwriter, and electronic producer.
Kade’s creativity, love of live music, and talent for writing and photography made them an asset to ConcertHopper.com. For the website, Kade interviewed artists such as Cherub and Maddy O'Neal, and covered music festivals and concerts such as Suwannee Hulaween. Kade also combined their love of food and music festivals to create and manage ConcertHopper.com’s Bars & Bites column.
ConcertHopper.com will be setting up a memorial Music Festival/Music Camp Scholarship in Kade’s honor. With this scholarship they hope to give someone the opportunity to experience the joy and community that Kade felt while enjoying music. The fundraising and application process will begin early in 2021.
Kade was an active supporter of and participant in the arts, especially photography. Kade was a gifted guitarist. They were plucked from the crowd two different times while seeing their favorite band, Green Day in concert.The second time they took the stage, they actually played guitar with Green Day!
They enjoyed cooking and sharing food with others. They also enjoyed hiking, camping and kayaking.
Kade was the loudest cheerleader for everyone lucky enough to call them a friend. Kade carried the spirit of Camp Kulabunga with them everywhere after attending in 2019. Camp Kulabunga is focused on creating a safe space of radical inclusion, community, self-empowerment, and wellness.
They are survived by their 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.
They also leave behind their best friend, Austin Adderholt, two cats, Fink and Nala, and a chosen family of Camp Kulabunga campers, concert hoppers, and artists all over the country.
Kade is preceded in death by their great-grandparents, Cynthia Tripp, James Monroe Tripp, and Willie McVeigh; and their grandfather, Ray Jenkins.
***
