Robert Finn Martin passed away on September 8, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah, following a tragic accident. He was seven years old.

Finn was born on July 20, 2017, in Lone Tree, Colorado, forever blessing the lives of his parents, Robert and Melissa Martin. He became a big brother in 2020 when his sister, Makayla, was born, and they quickly became best friends. Together, they played video games, did homeschool assignments, participated in photoshoots, and just enjoyed hanging out. He always saw himself as his sister's protector, like Tanjiro from Demon Slayer.

Finn loved to learn and was accepted into a specialized school in Texas for gifted children. However, when it became clear that the public schools were not equipped to successfully teach autistic students, his parents made the decision to homeschool. This allowed Finn to learn at his own pace (which was extremely advanced) and to focus on his preferred interests, such as science and engineering. Every month, Finn went to the Kid's DIY-U at Lowe's to participate in their building projects. He earned thirteen badges and was presented with the Master Builder Award. After moving to Utah, Finn was enrolled in Spectrum Academy, an autism charter school. He absolutely loved it there, saying, "This school actually likes autistic kids!"

He called himself "Fixer Finn," as he watched thousands of hours of YouTubers fixing electronics, especially TronicsFix. When he was a toddler, his parents would get very nervous when they saw him running around with screwdrivers, because it meant that some electronic device was being taken apart! Later, his parents started to trust his "fixing" abilities, and he became the in-house IT consultant, from fixing Mommy's workstation setup to figuring out why the jets in the bathtub wouldn't turn on. He was even capable of taking a video game system apart, reassembling it, and having it turn on again. His prized possessions included his set of iFixIt tools, which he cared for meticulously and never lost any of the pieces.

One of his greatest loves was video games, especially Minecraft and Roblox. But beyond just playing, Finn always wanted to become a video game developer. His parents got him a gaming PC for his seventh birthday, and days later, Daddy discovered that he was already coding in Roblox using YouTube videos as a guide. He since completed three different Roblox game experiences of his own.

Finn was a big fan of music. As a toddler, he would blast electronic dance music at volume 100 and headbang in the living room. He often played music with a heavy beat on the loudspeakers and jammed along with it on the drum set. In April 2024, he began taking piano lessons from his grandmother, Susan Dalton, and was just getting the hang of playing and singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." He was also capable of plunking out a tune by ear on the piano and taught himself some of his favorite theme songs in this manner.

Finn was an extraordinary boy. He loved to dance, to sing, to play, to laugh, to learn. He loved creepy things like Coraline, M3gan and Five Nights at Freddy's, yet he thought that toilets, washing machines, and Sesame Street were far too scary. He also loved lighthearted media such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Inside Out, and Paw Patrol. When he'd go to the pool, he wanted to go down the water slides repeatedly. He loved fiercely and was protective of anyone that he considered his family or friend, and he worried about disenfranchised groups because he wanted everyone to feel included and loved. One of his regular talking points was about how he wished there was no money in the world, because then everyone would be able to get everything that they needed. He was a kind boy, full of life and endless potential.

Finn is survived by his parents, Robert Quincey Martin and Melissa Sue Martin, his sister, Makayla Rey Martin, his grandparents, Wanda Martin and Dan and Susan Dalton, five great-grandparents, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his grandfather Robert Earl Martin and his uncle Joshua Martin.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Finn's school, Spectrum Academy, "In memory of Finn" to help more autistic children be seen, feel validated, and have a successful education.

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Funeral Live Webcast:

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