Jeffrey W. Martin
MELROSE
Jeffrey W. Martin, a former Fidelity Investments employee and a rising lawyer with John Hancock Insurance Co., ''died doing what he loved most -- attending rock concerts,'' said his cousin, Robert Martin, a Boston lawyer.
A passionate fan of heavy-metal bands and an avid traveler, Martin, 33, often planned his itineraries to coincide with concert dates and reveled at dozens of rock events in the United States and Europe.
"He studied hard, worked hard, and played hard," said his mother, Suzanne Fox of Carson City, Nev. "He was a go-getter."
Martin loved running and bicycling and had recently spent three weeks hiking alone in the Southwest.
He was also known for his offbeat sense of humor. "He loved finding the absurdities in modern culture," said his stepmother, Dru Markle Bloom of Nashville. "He would have long discussions about which was the better junk food, Twinkies or Ho-Hos, and he could go on for hours on topics like that."
Born in Stoneham and raised in the Boston area and in Los Angeles, he attended Cal Prep high school in Los Angeles before graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in political science. After working briefly for Fidelity Investments in Boston, he put himself through law school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Then he landed a job as a legal counselor for John Hancock Insurance Co. in Boston.
"Jeff was astute, capable, sincere, talented, saw the big picture," said his supervisor, John A. Morin, a vice president and chief compliance officer at John Hancock. "He had a bright career ahead of him which was tragically cut short. No question about it, he was coming into his own."
JUDITH GAINES
