Martin was the fifth child of seven and grew up being called Eudell. When he was 12 years old, he accepted Christ as his Savior, largely due to the influence of the Rural Bible Crusade.
Martin attended Closter Elementary through Grade 7 when his family moved to Newman Grove, Nebraska. There he completed Grades 8-10 and spent one year helping his dad on the farm before moving to Wheaton, IL, to attend Wheaton Academy. He completed high school at Wheaton Academy, working to earn his room and board by scrubbing pots and pans.
In 1952 Martin qualified for training as a lab technician through the Nebraska State Rehabilitation Program and moved to Minneapolis, MN. Due to a farm accident at age 8 when he was nearly run over by a disc, severely injuring his right arm, he was eligible for this special program. However, after 3 months he realized this was not his calling and began a packaging job for a medical supply company. While in Minneapolis he attended Powderhorn Park Baptist Church where he met Marialice (Mally) Hinze – the love of his life – at a church skiing and tobogganing party. They were married on July 17, 1954, and moved to North Carolina where he was stationed with the US Army until 1955.
Martin and Marialice moved back to Minneapolis where he attended Dunwoody Institute on the GI Bill and worked nights at the US Postal Service. After graduation, he tried his hand as an automotive electrician and continued to work at the Post Office. Sons Torrey Scott and Todd Quentin were born in Minneapolis before the family decided to move to the family farm in Nebraska. While the pace was less hectic, working with his dad on the farm proved to be an unsatisfactory arrangement and Martin and Marialice moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, to rejoin the US Postal Service as a letter carrier. After renting in Lincoln for a short time, they were able to purchase their first home on North 59th Street to raise their boys for the next 16 years.
Martin and Marialice loved to vacation in Wisconsin and Minnesota. While on vacation in 1977, around Reedsburg, WI, they found a 65-acre farm and fell in love with it and the surrounding area. They purchased the property, Martin transferred to the Post Office in Reedsburg, and thus began another time of upheaval in their lives as the connection hoped for did not materialize. They were able to sell their farm (with divine intervention only) and relocate back to Lincoln and a new home on Bedloe Court. Martin had to work his way up at the Post Office, starting at the bottom again, but eventually had a very satisfying job as an Area Maintenance Technician covering central Nebraska.
The siren call of the farm never left Martin, however, and in 1987 they found a 5-acre plot east of Lincoln. Buying a tractor and a few pieces of equipment, Martin began working a former milo field and planted hundreds of trees, which he dearly loved! He had a Morton building put up and then wired it himself, passing all the city inspections! Then in 1993 Martin and Mally helped design their house, worked with their builders to have it built, and moved to the acreage. The acreage was a consistent source of enjoyment for Martin, and he loved spending time in the Morton building and working the land with his tractors, mowers, and assorted tools and equipment, and would proudly give tours to any visitors!
In 1995, following his second retirement from the University of Nebraska as a facilities technician, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After a successful surgery, he resumed his active life: maintenance of the acreage and helping at church, assisting friends and neighbors. His 5-acre “hobby farm” was the satisfying scene of wildlife, tree plantings and farm equipment restoration, all the while enjoying God’s creation.
In 2019, feeling that the maintenance of those beloved five acres was getting to be too much to handle, the acreage was sold, and Martin and Marialice moved to a senior living home. He was a member of Lincoln Berean Church and the Young at Heart class for 30+ years.
Martin is survived by his wife, Marialice; sons, Torrey (Carol) and Todd (Mikki) and grandchildren Taryn, Jenna, Karli, Jonah, and Karis.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 19th at 2 pm at Lincoln Berean Church, 6400 S. 70th Street, Lincoln.
Memorials can be given to People’s City Mission, 110 Q St. Lincoln, NE 68508 or online to https://www.alivingtribute.org/ to plant a tree in Martin’s honor.