Wesley J. Martin

Wesley John Martin, 91, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at his home. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 1:00 pm at Episcopal Church of the Incarnation with inurnment with military honors to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery. O’Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Wes was born April 19, 1922 in Garfield, AR to Jesse and Caroline (Stoops) Martin. He was wedded to Nancy Chaillinor (deceased) and they had two daughters. In May of 1962 he was united in marriage to Betty (Beslonowich Erler) with her four children. Together they also had a daughter. Wes was a Sergeant in the United States Army 4th Division. He served in the infantry training camps as a basic training instructor and drillmaster. He moved on to serve in Rhineland, Germany during WWII. In 1944, he was wounded in action and captured during the Battle of the Bulge. He and a medic later escaped. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Victory Medal, Combat Infantry badge, and European Theatre Operations Medal. He owned and operated Tri-Way Cleaning Services until retirement. Wes was an avid bowler and a member of the GFBA hall. He was one of the few bowlers to have rolled a perfect 300 game as a senior. His enjoyments were camping, hunting, fishing, and working with wood. He had a green thumb and loved experimenting with his vegetable garden. His latest experiment was growing potatoes in a 5lb bucket and this was a huge success. Wes loved to BBQ, he was well known for his steaks and burgers. He is survived in death by his wife, Betty; daughters Carolyn (Jim) Kennedy , Marilyn (Tom) Wilcher, and Cheryl McDaniel; stepchildren Debra (Don) Isenblatter, Theresa (Tim) Culliton, Mark Erler, and Patricia (Rick) Ford; sister Montez (Doug) Briggs; brothers Emmett (Alice) Martin and Norman (Carole) Martin; 10 grandchildren and too many nieces and nephews to name who loved and respected him. He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings James (Rose) Martin, Effie (Cal) Briggs, Omalee (Charles) Bender, and Maxine (Harold) Sneath; and grandson Zach Culliton.