Martin Robert Paris

Martin is lovingly remembered for the joy he embodied, the love he radiated, and his delight in all things beautiful. For his exuberant impulse to move to the music—whether it was on the dancefloor, in the mosh-pit, or in the middle of the kitchen. For his playful sense of humour and his infectious laughter. For the love he shared with his partner John, a love so deep it seemed the two of them were one. For the loving bond he shared with his mother, from childhood through the later years of her life in care. For his innate appreciation of art—on the walls of museums or in objects of the natural world—and for his own artistic creativity.

The joy and love Martin shared with so many in his life remains a source of comfort to his family as they grieve his loss—to his partner John Clark; his sisters Céline (Franc Roiron), Dominique, Hélène (Leonard Bergmame), and Brigitte (François Giroux); his nieces and nephews Mischa, Élise, Isabelle, Pierre, Anne, Jean-Philippe, Vincent, and Marie-Andrée; and John’s brother Kenneth (Pamela Lockman). Martin’s six grandnieces and grandnephews will remember him as a loving and attentive great-uncle. 

Martin’s many, many friends and colleagues who knew and loved him as a joyful presence in their lives are all deeply saddened by his death.

Martin grew up in Old Ottawa South and Alta Vista with his sisters and parents, the late Robert and Micheline Paris. He attended Charlebois High School, graduating in 1980. He graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in education and began his teaching career the following year in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, teaching French immersion for more than thirty years. He was a natural-born teacher, applying his talents outside the classroom from time to time at the Canada Museum of Science and Technology, the Canadian Museum of Nature, and the National Gallery of Canada. After his retirement, he appreciated the opportunity to work as a part-time mentor for new teachers. He also volunteered as a tutor at Centennial Public School and in the Ottawa Public Library’s reading program, where both the kids in the program and their parents valued the help he gave the kids with their reading skills.  

A celebration of Martin’s life will be held on Saturday, January 10th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Sacred Space at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, followed by a reception.

Donations in Martin’s memory to Plan International or UNICEF, programs that Martin supported for many years, would be greatly appreciated.