Eli Whittaker Martin, an environmental scientist and ardent naturalist, passed away on July 3, 2026, at the age of 28, due to heatstroke while hiking in Guam.
Born in Boston on Dec. 11, 1997, Eli grew up in Belmont and graduated from Belmont High School in 2016. Eli was active in school, playing ultimate frisbee and trombone in the marching and jazz bands. He attended Harvard University, earning his degree in evolutionary biology in 2020. He was an enthusiastic member of the Harvard Marching Band and the Harvard Pops Orchestra.
Eli was a lifelong animal lover, considered remarkable, even as a toddler, for his deep fascination with sea creatures. Throughout his teens, he shared this joy with others by volunteering as a camp counselor and visitor educator at the New England Aquarium. An avid scuba diver, Eli explored coral reefs around the world, from Australia and Indonesia to the waters of Guam.
In 2020, a university course in bird biology sparked a new obsession. Eli threw himself into birdwatching with characteristic vigor, ultimately recording nearly 1,000 unique bird species on the popular eBird app.
After college, Eli began his career as a fisheries observer, gathering critical data on marine catch. For the past four years, he lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, working as an environmental scientist for AECOM. He dedicated his professional life to environmental remediation and ecosystem protection.
Eli was known for his profound kindness, unshakeable loyalty, positive demeanor, and steady, dependable nature. In any situation, he was someone people could count on—a calm, comforting presence. He was a wonderful friend, brother, and son, and we will think of him whenever we look out at the ocean or hear birds singing.
Eli is survived by his parents, Sally and Terry Martin, and his sister, Evelyn Martin, all of Belmont; his grandmother, Sharry Teague, and her husband, Sam Simpson, of Ashland, Oregon; his grandfather, Fred Murschall, and his wife, Shirley Murschall, of Bend, Oregon; as well as many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and colleagues.
A memorial page has been created at mykeeper.com/EliMartin/ to share celebration-of-life details, photos, memories, and links to suggested charities. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Eli’s memory be made to organizations that reflect his commitment to wildlife conservation: the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project, and the New England Aquarium.
