Carol Janet (Wood) Martin, passed away on the 18th of December in Hastings County, Ontario following a series of health complications.

Born to Thomas Wood and Janet (Hudson) Wood in Ottawa on March 25, 1935, Carol studied journalism at Carlton University in Ottawa before moving to Toronto with her husband Peter Martin in 1957, to join the small but thriving Canadian literary community there.

After co-founding PMA Books, an independent publishing house, and the Reader’s Club of Canada, a monthly subscription book club focussing exclusively on Canadian publications, she was instrumental in the foundation of the Association of Canadian Publishers and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. In the following decades she continued to contribute to arts & letters through her work with the Canada Council, her authorship of several books on historical and biographical subjects, and her contributions to the Canadian Forum and other literary periodicals and organizations.

Her long career culminated with an appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada in November of 2015.
In later years Carol moved to Thomasburg, Ontario where she continued her engagement and activism. She became a Friend of the Tweed Library, as well as committing time and effort to other community endeavours.

Carol was predeceased by her brother Donald and is survived by her brother Franklin, daughter Pamela and sons Christopher and Jeremy, as well as many of the devoted friends and colleagues she gained throughout her life.

Though sadly missed she will be fondly remembered by all.

To plant a tree in memory of Carol Janet Martin, please visit Tribute Store.

This obituary was written for The Ottawa Citizen. 

Read an obituary from The Globe and Mail by Gillian O’Reilly here.