JOHN MARTIN

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JOHN MARTIN March 3, 1934 - January 1, 2011 John Martin was born March 3, 1934 to Anton and Maria (Ambrose) Martin on his grandfather Gregory's homestead near Dahinda, SK. He attended Dahinda School until the family moved to Moose Jaw so he and his sisters could complete their high school education. John graduated in 1950 from Moose Jaw Technical School. After graduation, John worked for one year at BA in Moose Jaw where he discovered the exciting world of engineering. He enrolled in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan and completed his degree in 1956. There he met Coralie Dietrich and in October of 1956 they were married. John and Coralie began their new life in Porcupine Plain and then Tisdale where John worked building roads and ditches to create productive farmland. A year later John and Coralie moved back to Saskatoon where John completed a Diploma in Business Administration. With very few jobs available in Saskatchewan, John and his family moved to Winnipeg where he could work for Cimco and earn his Professional Engineer designation. In 1964 John co-founded MCW Consultants Ltd. which has grown over the last 46 years to a nation-wide company with 300 employees providing engineering services around the world. John was a brilliant engineer designing systems for buildings in numerous locations such as Winnipeg, Toronto, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Saudi Arabia and most recently Dubai. John had great love and energy for his family. Gregory John (Sherri Lamarche) was born in 1958, Cynthia Marie (Kelly Driedger) in 1959, Kathleen Anne (Fred Baker) in 1961, Jeffrey Justin (Sheridan Renouf) in 1962 and Marilyn Lisa (Simon Mok) in 1964. In the early 1970s John decided his children needed to become a cohesive family so he bought a small farm at McMunn, MB, near family friends who had cottages at West Hawk Lake and Falcon Lake. He bought an old truck and two pinto ponies, Pegasus and Scout. The farm experience helped make his children the responsible people they are today. One of John's greatest joys was the happy marriages of his children and the arrival of his grandchildren whom he loved unconditionally. His grandchildren are Isaac and Maja Martin, Christopher and Alexander Driedger, Matt (Eva) Baker, Chelsea, Tasha and Grace Martin, and Zacharias and Samuel Mok. John was a loving son to his mother Mary, father Anton (deceased) and brother to sisters Marie Avram and Illene Colcerin (deceased). In 1993, John and Coralie joined the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an order which supports the Christians of the Holy Land. A highlight of John's life was a pilgrimage in the year 2000 to Rome and the Holy Land. John's dream was to return to the family Century Farm. That dream was realized in 1997 when he was able to move back, renovate the old farm house and make it a home where his children and grandchildren returned to visit for the summers and holidays. He enjoyed many happy times helping build a tree house, making a huge sandbox, teaching them to drive the lawn mower and giving driving lessons in the red truck. John was a kind and loving, loyal and generous man who was respected by all who knew him. The family thanks Kelly Fish, Susan Viergutz and Father J. R. Prince who helped make his final days comfortable. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, 1064 3rd Ave. N.W., Moose Jaw, SK. Father John Prince will be the presiding celebrant and interment will take place at Holy Trinity Cemetery, Kayville, SK. A Prayer Service will be held on Friday, January 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church. For those so wishing, donations in John's name may be made to Covenant House, 575 Drake St., Vancouver, BC V6B 9Z9. Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Todd Sjoberg, Funeral Director, 306-693-4550. www.moosejawfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 06, 2011