MARTINSON, Stephen Charles 1949-2001

JACOBSON, MARTINSON, RUANE, JUFFER

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 10/10/2010 at 18:04:10

Decorah Public Opinion, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001

Stephen Martinson

Stephen Martinson, 51, of Decorah, died Jan. 11, 2001 at Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital in Decorah, after a brief illness.

A driver for United Parcel Service in Decorah, Stephen Martinson was seriously injured in an accident in Jan. 1995. After a stay at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Wayzata, Minn., he had recently been at Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital.

A memorial service will be held at the Center for Faith and Life at Luther College Sunday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m., with coffee following the service.

The body has been cremated, and the remains will be scattered by the Coast Guard in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast.

Stephen Charles Martinson was born Sept. 21, 1949, in Chamberlain, S.D., the son of Rev. Emil and Jeanette (Jacobson) Matinson, who served Lutheran parishes in South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa during Stephen Martinson's early years.

The musical family toured regional churches as the Martinson Family Singers, singing arrangements of beloved hymns. Stephen Martinson continued his musical interests at Decorah High School, where he graduated in 1967, and he sang in a choir during his two years at Luther College.

He served as a radio technician for the United States Coast Guard on the Great Lakes and off the Oregon and Alaska coasts from 1970-1974, earning the National Defense Service Medal and the Coast Guard Unit Commendation Ribbon.

Stephen Martinson joined the United Parcel Service in 1975, serving first as a pre-loader and then as a driver. In recent years, he was a well-known delivery driver in the Fort Atkinson, Jackson Junction, Waucoma, St. Lucas, Calmar, and Spillville communities.

Stephen Martinson married Kathleen Ruane on August 28, 1977, in Ithaca, N.Y. They had two children, James, now a sophomore at Pacific University, and Robin, a senior at Decorah High School.

In Decorah, Stephen Martinson was an active member of Habitat for Humanity and a life member of Vesterheim Museum. He actively supported his children's activities at St. Benedict and Decorah Public Schools and his wife Kate Martinson's teaching in the Art department at Luther College.

He studied woodcarving and knifemaking in Decorah at Vesterheim Museum and in Norway. In 1989 he traveled with his wife around Norway, studying Norwegian folk art and culture, and in 1990 they took their children to Ireland and Norway to introduce them to their varied heritages.

Stephen Martinson loved art, travel, music, and good food—especially strong coffee and fresh kolaches and cookies baked by his beloved customers.

Those who knew Stephen Martinson recall his passionate joy for life, his warmth and gusto, his robust laugh, his generous celebration of new experiences and people. He was a sympathetic listener and spoke with an open, loving heart. He was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, and friend, as well as a strong supporter of the Decorah community. In recent years, Stephen Martinson regularly hosted friends in his hospital room, where he was lovingly cared for by family and hospital staff.

Survivors of Stephen Martinson are his wife, Kate Martinson of Decorah; his son James Martinson of Portland, Ore.; his daughter Robin Martinson of Decorah; his parents, Rev. Emil and Jeanette Martinson of Decorah; his sisters Patsy Martinson of Decorah; Sonja and Kirk Juffer of Shorewood, Wis.; and Lisa Martinson and Grant Nelson of St. Paul, Minn.; his brother Tim Martinson and Joanna Lynch of Ithaca, N.Y.; his brother-in-law Tom Ruane and Donna Augustine of Ithaca, N.Y.; along with four nieces and nephews.

Stephen Charles Martinson was preceded in death by his grandparents and by his father-in-law, James Ruane.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.