Martin, Thomas Jefferson

MARTIN, LOWE, HANEY

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 5/26/2013 at 23:27:21

Thomas J. Martin, 79, of Mason City, died Saturday (October 6, 2012) at Mercy
Medical Center – North Iowa in Mason City.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday (October 10, 2012) at
Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake. Interment will
follow in Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, where full military honors will
be provided by the Clear Lake VFW.

Visitation will be held Wednesday morning from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the
funeral home. Should friends desire, memorials may be left in Thomas’ name in
care of his family.

Thomas Jefferson Martin was born on April 4, 1933 in Quincy, Illinois, the son
of Thomas E. and Nellie (Lowe) Martin. He attended and graduated from Quincy
High School. Following his graduation Thomas attended community college for two
years before enlisting in the United States Navy.

It was on a blind date in Wichita, Kansas that Thomas met his future wife, Betty
Jean Haney. They would be united in marriage on December 18, 1951 in Winfield,
Kansas; this union would be blessed with seven children.

On January 22, 1951 Thomas was inducted into the United States Navy where he
would faithfully serve his country during the Korean Conflict. On February 25,
1953 he was honorably discharged from the Navy.
Thomas spent many years serving as a police officer in Virginia, Kansas, and
Texas before moving to Iowa. The last few years Thomas had worked at Wal Mart
in Mason City.

In his free time Thomas enjoyed bowling and bowled league for many years at Lake
Lanes in Clear Lake. He and Betty also enjoyed watching Westerns together and
over the years had developed an impressive collection of Western movies, his
favorite being “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”. In his children’s earlier
years, Thomas was a Boy Scout Leader for his sons’ Boy Scout Pack. He liked to
travel and collect guns.

Those grateful in sharing in his life are his children. Paul Alan Martin,
Petersberg, VA, Glen Clifford Martin, Sheboygan, WI, Joyce Lynn (Scott) Myers,
Mason City, and James Wayne Martin, Joplin, MO, Molly (Kevin) Gann, Lawrence,
KS, and Michael (Sarah) Martin, Hiawatha, KS; 12 grandchildren; six great
grandchildren; a brother, Charles Martin (Ann) Snodgrass, Glendale, VA; a
sister, Patty Louise Martin, Quincy, IL; and a sister in law, Mary L. Martin,
Hull, IL.

He is preceded in death by his parents, wife, brothers, Robert Leo Martin, Fred
Junior Martin, and Bruce Edward Martin; and a son, Tony Martin.