Community remembers beloved drug rehab counselor, Les Martin
It’s said that God puts people on Earth for a reason, and Leslie “Les” Martin would say that God put him on Earth to help people through their drug and alcohol problems.
Martin, who died Dec. 2 at the age of 77, became a key figure in drug rehabilitation programs in Butler County starting from his mid-30s, shortly after he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Slippery Rock University.
According to his daughter, Lisa Martin Decenzo, he decided to take this path after falling into the trap of addiction himself in his younger years.
“He didn’t finish high school. He dropped out of high school as a senior,” Martin Decenzo said. “When he got clean, he got his GED and got his associate’s at Butler County Community College, ended up getting his bachelor’s and master's degree from Slippery Rock, and then became professionally involved in drug and alcohol rehab.”
Shortly after graduating, Martin became actively involved in Butler County’s local branch of the Narcotics Anonymous program, both as a participant and as a volunteer. At the time of his death, Martin was 41 years sober and was still attending daily meetings to connect with friends from the program.
One of those friends was Linda Franiewski, who was in recovery around the same time as Martin.
“I’ve known Les since 1984. We came into recovery and got clean and sober together in 1984. He was my buddy for 41 years,” Franiewski said. “We signed up for BC3 together, and then we went to Slippery Rock. We've stayed friends for all those years.”
He spread his newfound passion for rehabilitation across Butler County, starting with the now-defunct Irene Stacy Community Mental Health Center, where he helped establish a drug and alcohol program at Butler County Prison. Later, he would work in various capacities for Butler Memorial Hospital, the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center, and in private practice.
In an example of “what goes around comes around,” it was Franiewski who initially hired Martin as a counselor at the Gaiser Center, “around 10 years ago,” she estimates.
“He devoted his life to recovery and helping others,” Franiewski said. “He was supportive and very non-judgmental and empathetic. He was very special in working with newcomers. He was so instrumental in so many people’s recoveries.”
Even after he officially retired, Martin took another position as a counselor at the CARE Center in Butler, where he continued to perform individual and group counseling for just over four years, until the time of his death.
“He came to us after he’d retired, and he wanted to get back into a counseling role and to continue to help people,” said Misty Miller, clinical director at the CARE Center. “He had always said that his work with people in recovery was really what kind of drove him.”
Miller said Martin made a major positive impact at the CARE Center during his time there.
“Les was just one of those individuals who was an amazing team member. I can’t even tell you the amount of people that he helped,” Miller said. “He would help anybody who needed help. He was just one of those people. And he really, truly, lived his work.”
Martin Decenzo said impact of Martin’s life was felt at his funeral, which was held Sunday at Spencer D. Geibel Funeral Home.
“It was honestly astonishing how many of his colleagues were there, how emotionally upset they were, how much he touched their lives, and how well-respected he was in his professional life,” Martin Decenzo said. “The amount of people that just couldn’t say enough about how giving he was, how selfless he was, how he was always willing to help anybody out at any time and how wonderful of a colleague he was.”
“His absence is felt everywhere,” Miller said. “He truly was a pillar of the recovery community. We all miss him terribly. He’s had a huge impact on how we all do our work, simply by who he was.”
“There’s a quote that Les used to always say that I think really touched a lot of people's lives,” Franiewski said. “He used to say, ‘Don't leave before the miracle happens.’ He used to say that to a lot of people, and I thought that was encouraging.”
