A retired professional trucker, 87-year old David Martin continues a life on the road as a deliveryman for the local Meals On Wheels program based out of the Clinton Senior Center in Clinton, Missouri.

“It provides me the opportunity to meet my people. That’s what I call them – my people,” he said. He began his duties in 1992 as a volunteer, but is now on the payroll, receiving minimum wage as well as mileage reimbursement. He drives as much as 1300 miles per month delivering hot meals and “supper sacks” to 15 homes in the surrounding community.

David has been widowed for 12 years. He lost his wife, Margarite, two weeks after she was diagnosed from pancreatic cancer. He helped raise four children, two boys and two girls, who in turn have given him 15 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.

“I still miss her. You never get over that,” he said. Sometimes he has heard her footsteps walking down the hallway of their home, which he currently shares with his granddaughter, Catherine and her twin daughters, Mariah and Cheyenne.

He often spends the evenings with Frida Morre, who is a widow of many years. They frequently spend their time on the couch holding hands, laughing, talking about family and shared memories.

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David Martin stops to fill up his 1990 Dodge Caravan during the course of his deliveries. He can drive over 1300 miles per month making deliveries.