Biography:

Kristen Elizabeth Martin of Little Rock passed away February 19, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.  She was 50.  Born November 6, 1975, in Little Rock, she was the daughter of Celia and Gene Martin. She is also survived by her grandmother Anne Bailey, big brothers Craig and Blake, sisters-in-law Kim and Chloe, and beloved nephews Wyatt, Garrett, Essec and niece Ezmae.

Born prematurely Kristen was diagnosed early on with cerebral palsy.  She attended Little Rock Public Schools benefiting from the early days of mainstreaming of children with disabilities into regular classrooms, helping others to recognize that mainstreaming in classrooms benefited all children.

As the Easterseals Arkansas Child Representative in 1982, Kristen learned early on the importance of speaking up for herself.  She was known to say with a smile when folks would raise their voices to speak with her in her wheelchair, “It’s my legs that don’t work.  My ears work just fine.”  Kristen was active in her church youth group and could hardly wait for summer to attend Camp Mitchell and Camp Aldersgate. Following high school, she attended University of Central Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist University. She also earned an associate degree in computer technology at Pulaski Tech.

Kristen worked and volunteered at Easterseals for a time also serving as their Adult Representative in 2000. She later joined Easterseals Artistic Realizations Technologies (A.R.T.) program that changed her life. A.R.T. allowed Kristen the mechanism to express and exhibit the creativity that had been locked inside her brain that her body prohibited her from expressing. Many of her abstract paintings hang in homes and offices today.

The other driving force in Kristen’s life the last 15 years was the practice of Taekwondo. Through the dedicated and creative instruction of Master Ruiz, Kristen achieved her 4^th degree Black Belt. The desire to continue advancing challenged her tenacity and kept her striving even as she faced repeated surgeries.   

Kristen was sweet, spicy and a bit salty (we hear). She was loving, intelligent, courageous, tenacious, creative, stubborn and funny. She will be missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church with a reception to follow. The family requests memorials be made to Easterseals Arkansas A.R.T. Program so that others with disabilities may discover the joy of expressing themselves. Easterseals Arkansas, Development Dept., 3920 Woodland Heights Rd, Little Rock, AR 72212. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com