Marquette - Martin J. Marin, 83, entered eternal life at sunrise on May 27 at home surrounded by his family.


Martin was born December 3, 1926 in Kaleva, MI to Pastor Amos and Mathilda (Beldo) Marin. He graduated from Kaleva High School, class of 1944 and enlisted in the army the day after graduation. Martin was called to army reserve duty at Ripon College; he then did active duty basic training at Camp Hood, Texas, then moved to Ohio State University in Army Specialized Training Program and to Signal Corps schools in Missouri and New Jersey, from which he was sent to a Signal Corps battalion until discharged in 1946. In 1947 Martin enrolled at Michigan Tech University, graduating in 1949 with a degree in Mining Engineering. Martin worked for North Range Mining Company as a mining engineer and later as an operating engineer until 1958.


Martin was married on June 24, 1950 to Luella Latola at Grace Lutheran Church in Gwinn, where they lived. He served on the church council and was elected to the Forsyth Township school board. In 1955 he and Luella moved to Ishpeming. They joined the Bethel Lutheran Church where Martin served as vice chairman of the congregation and church council and was active in men's Bible studies.


In 1958 Martin started working at KI Sawyer Air Force Base for the Army Corps of Engineers and later for the U.S. Air Force as a Civil Engineer, and attained Registered Professional Engineer certification. He retired in 1988 as the Deputy Base Civil Engineer. Through the years Martin served as an officer in various organizations including Marquette Range Engineer Club, KI Sawyer Kiwanis Club, Little Shag Lake Property Owners' Association, and Open Heart Club. Other organizations included National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Marquette County Genealogical Society, and Finlandia University Heritage Council. Martin and Luella moved to Marquette in 2004.


Martin is survived by his wife Luella (Latola) Marin of Marquette; 4 children: Paul (Betsy Little) Marin of Marquette, Carl Peter (Diane) Marin of Suttons Bay, Ann (Esa Rantanen) Marin, Champaign, IL, John (Michele-Hoaiduc Nguyen) Marin of San Francisco, CA; 8 grandchildren: Alec, Matthew, Andrew, Marybeth, Kristopher, and Odin Thien-An Marin, Alisa and Petra Rantanen; 2 sisters - Ruth Beegle of East Lansing & Marianne Bubolz of Okemos; a brother - Rudy Marin of East Lansing along with numerous nephews and nieces.


The family will greet relatives and friends from 3 until 5pm on Saturday May 29, 2010 at the Bjork & Zhulkie Funeral Home in Ishpeming, and again from 1 until 2pm on Sunday May 30, 2010 at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Ishpeming. Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday at the Bethel Lutheran Church with the Rev. Lauri O. Maki and Rev. David VanKley to officiate. Interment will take place at the Gwinn Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the services in the fellowship hall at Bethel Lutheran Church.
Pallbearers will be Martin's grandchildren.


In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Bethel Lutheran Church, Ishpeming, Grace Lutheran Church, Gwinn, Bethany Lutheran Church, Kaleva or Finlandia University, Finnish Heritage Fund.