Martin Kendall Dashields Jr., a Baltimore City firefighter known for his knowledge of Baltimore’s streets, died of a seizure after a stroke April 12 at Northwest Hospital Center. The Catonsville resident was 57.
Born in Baltimore and raised on Mount Olivet Lane, he was the son of Martin Kendall Dashields Sr., a Baltimore Transit Co. and Maryland Transit Administration vehicle driver, and his wife, Rebie Harris, a Chesapeake and Potomac telephone operator. He attended Edmondson High School and was a graduate of Southwestern High School. He earned a degree at Coppin State University.“My husband was on his own since he was 18 years old,” said his wife, the former Audra Gray. “He always made his own living and was a hard worker.”
His cousin, Dale Stewart Smith, a resident of Raleigh, N.C., recalled that Mr. Dashields had a detailed knowledge of Baltimore streets and neighborhoods.