Geraldine E. Martens

Geraldine Eve (Hentz) Martens, age 94, died Friday, August 25, 2006 at St. Paul Elder Services in Kaukauna. She was born December 3, 1911 in Kaukauna, the youngest of ten children born to Nicholas and Christina (Thon) Hentz. Gerry graduated from Holy Cross Grade School in 1926 and Kaukauna High School in the class of 1930. After high school she was employed at J.J. Martens and Co. Dry Goods store on Third Street in Kaukauna. It was while working at the store she met her husband, Julius J. Martens, Jr., son of the founder. Married in 1943, Gerry continued to work full time in the store until the birth of their first child in 1946 and then part time thereafter.

An excellent cook and homemaker, Gerry kept numerous cookbooks annotated with her personal modifications and wry commentary. At an early age she began sewing and hand-tailored made most of her own clothes. She also embroidered many pictures and inspirational messages. She was an active member of the Kaukauna Homemakers, St. Mary’s Altar Society, and a volunteer at St. Paul’s Home.

Gerry loved nature and loved to be in the woods. Listening to the owls hoot and watching the eagles soar over Thousand Islands were some of her greatest joys. From a moving car, she could spot wild currents growing blocks away on a fence (and always insisted the driver stop so she could sample them.) In spring she picked violets, buttercups, pussy willows, and wild asparagus. In summer she picked wild strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. In fall she collected wild hickory nuts, and in winter she cleaned the nuts – sometimes up to 50 quarts.

Everyone eagerly awaited the holidays when Gerry’s gifts for her husband, children, and friends consisted of quarts of cleaned hickory nuts and handmade flannel shirts or nightgowns, a tradition that lasted until she was in her late eighties! Her handmade gifts and acts of kindness will be missed by many.

Gerry is survived by her husband: Julius; four children: Julie Newcombe (Chuck Habeger) of Seattle, WA; John Martens and his friend Sharon Kilfoy of Madison, WI; Thomas Martens of Appleton, WI; and Michael (wife Cindy Marks) Martens of Portland, OR. She is also survived by the following nieces and nephews: James Bell, James D. Flynn, Robert M. Flynn, Eileen Hentz, and Carol Hentz. Gerry is also survived by many grand-nieces and grand-nephews and her friend Rose Marie Van Dyke.

She was preceded in death by nine brothers and sisters: Elizabeth Martell, George Hentz, Joseph Hentz, Rosalie (Cecilia) La Borde, Bernard Hentz, Anna Bell, Eleanor Flynn, Frank Hentz, and Francis John Hentz. She was also preceded in death by the following nieces and nephews: Donna Martell Vandehey, James Martell, Cleo LaBorde Alger, Grace LaBorde Young, John LaBorde, Eugene LaBorde, and Bernard W. Flynn.

The funeral liturgy for Gerry will be held at 11:00 AM on September 6, 2006 at ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH, 119 W. 7th Street in Kaukauna, with Fr. Jerry Pastors officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery immediately after the Mass. Visitation will be held at the church on Wednesday morning from 10:00 AM until the hour of the service.

A memorial fund in her name has been established for the Thousand Islands Environmental Center which promotes the “appreciation of and involvement in nature by people of all ages.”

Greenwood Fargo Funeral Home
599 Hendricks Avenue
Kaukauna, WI
920-766-6201