Mindi Scherrel Martin, 69, of Cincinnati, passed away on the morning of September 18, 2026. She was Schirley to her siblings, Ma to her children, and Nana to her grandchildren.

Mindi was born in Cincinnati on March 24, 1957, to Gus Martin and Earline (Tye) Martin, the tenth of their thirteen children. Her first neighborhood was Avondale, where she attended South Avondale before going on to Aiken High School.

She was blessed with two children, John and Sonyanika, and raised them in Winton Terrace, the same neighborhood that raised her. Once her children were grown, she moved to Bond Hill, where she lived for more than thirty years.

She was skilled with her hands. When she was younger, she did hair and taught her classmates at Cincinnati State how to braid. She worked as a seamstress at a shop on Cincinnati’s Northside that made costumes for all kinds of occasions, then spent most of her career at 3M, before ultimately retiring when the company moved part of its operations to Mexico.

Mindi was fiercely independent. She never learned to drive, loved to walk, never minded catching the bus, and never let anyone talk her onto a plane. She was funny and strong-willed, firm and warm all at once.

She loved her movies, especially comedies and holiday movies, and nobody made collard greens or sweet potato soufflé quite like her. She never missed a holiday, birthday, or milestone, and she welcomed any excuse to shop. You knew a gift was from Nana when you peeled back the wrapping paper of that familiar rectangular box, whether it was from Lazarus, Dillard's, or Macy's, her favorite.

Mindi was preceded in death by her parents, Gus and Earline (Tye) Martin; her son, John E. “Fatman” Martin; and her brothers, Rufus Glenn, Paul, and Frank “Buddy” O’Neil Martin.

She leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Sonyanika C. Martin; her grandchildren, Ian Damont Martin, Demontre Irvin Lewis, Shantre Scherrell Lewis, Tre’son Cowan Martin, Johnnaishay Martin, Jasean Martin, Tra-Niece Bunche, Cordaisa Evans, and Jahniyah Fields; her great-grandchildren, Tre’veon Martin, Jrai’dan Thompson, and Xavier Shearer; her brothers, Gus Martin Jr. of New York, Eugene Martin of Richmond, Virginia, Douglas Martin of Castlewood, Virginia, and David and Darron Martin of Cincinnati; her sisters, Pauline Martin Adams of Richmond, Virginia, Katherine Dianne Houston of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and Augustia Lynn Martin of Dayton, Ohio; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm, on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Walker Funeral Home - Walnut Hills Chapel, 2625 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati (45206). The funeral service will immediately follow the visitation, beginning at 12:00 pm. Friends and family will gather to share memories, find solace in one another's company, and honor the legacy she leaves behind.

She will be laid to rest at Vine Street Hill Cemetery.

We invite you to take a few moments to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with the Martin family. Please click the "Tribute Wall" icon above and to the right, enter the information, and click "Save Post."

Walker Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the Martin family during this difficult time. Please call 513.251.6200 or visit www.HerbWalker.com for additional information.