Charles Robert Martin

Charles Robert "Charlie" Martin, 98, died on April 7, 2012 at Valley Health Care Center in Billings after enduring the long good-bye of Alzheimer's for more than a decade. Charles was born to Clarence S. and Blanche R. Martin in Tyndall, SD on October 6, 1913. As a baby, his family moved to Montana and lived numerous places. In High School, Charlie participated in track and excelled in football, graduating from Three Forks High School in 1932. He served in the US Navy from 1934 to 1938. He was home ported in San Diego, CA and exhilarated in traveling to many ports of call. One of his grandest memories was that of shaking hands with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on board his ship and the President asking him where he was from. Having been discharged just prior to WWII, he remained in the San Diego area in support of the war effort and worked as an electrician in the frenzied building of military installations. While there, he met Manzanita E. "Nita" Taylor and they married on June 25, 1939. She was his partner for 73 years. After their children, Dianne and Craig were born, the lure of Montana could not be denied and Charlie settled his young family on a ranch in the foothills of the lovely Snowy Mts. He was proud of the Angus cattle and Tennessee Walking horses he raised plus he was recognized for his ability to gentle horses (not break them) with patience, soft talk, kindness and praise. Charlie was frequently enticed by the greener grass on the other side of the fence and left the ranch for boat building in Somers on Flathead Lake. Next he ran a water taxi from Polson. A railroading job in Three Forks evenually lead him to a long term occupation as a railroader for the Milwaukee in Deer Lodge. Charlie had, for many years, a side business of gun-smithing which evolved into the establishment of Powell Sporting Goods on the Main Street of Deer Lodge. Nita was a stalwart in the management of the business. In the mid-1950's, he founded a club for the new and growing sport of water skiing. Because his two children were now teens the club was aimed at high school students and young adults. Ultimately the group performed the first ever ski show in the Deer Lodge area on nearby Rock Creek Lake. Serving in the Naval Reserve, Charlie decided to return to active duty for two years and the sporting goods store was sold. After the completion of his active duty in 1958, Charlie's next green pasture was Warm Springs State Hospital as a Master Electrician. Eventually he became the Maintenance Supervisor directing carpentry, painting, plumbing, electrical and ground maintenance crews on campus. He was appreciated for his dedication to keeping all mechanical systems humming and seeing that the grounds were beautifully manicured and trimmed with lush flower beds. Approaching retirement, Charlie eschewed further green pastures and turned his attention instead to blue seas and his grand dream of sailing around the world on a small yacht with Nita and their two cats. He had a bare yacht hull trucked from California and finished building the boat in their back yard while Nita worked until her retirement. In the spring of 1979 they began their superb adventure from the Oregon coast. They sailed at leisure often spending months at a time in enchanting areas along the route. Their notable passages and stays included Hawaii, French Polynesia, Samoa, Tongo Fiji, the Solomans, New Zealand, Australia, the Seychelles, Kenya and Tanzania, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Cyprus in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea. During their ten years of sailing, they flew home twice for longer visits with family. They left their boat in the island of Culebra, a port between Puerto Rica and the American Virgin Islands and returned home a third time in the spring of 1989 to celebrate with family their 50th wedding anniversary. They stayed to enjoy a Montana summer and on into fall so Charlie could go big game hunting. During September of that fateful year, the category four hurricane Hugo made a direct hit on Culebra destroying over 200 boats, their cherished Mintaka was one of the them. They later settled in Willow Creek. They enjoyed traveling and family gatherings. In 2003 they moved to Billings to be near Jim, Dianne and granddaughter Karlee. Charlie belonged to the Masonic Lodge for 65 years and to whatever gun club existed where he was living at the time! Charlie is survived by his wife of 73 years, Nita; daughter Dianne (Jim) McDermand;son Craig Martin; former daughter in-law Donna Martin; granddaughter Karlee (Kevin) Bentz;granddaughter Jodi; grandson Travis (Belinda)Martin; and two great grand children. A graveside service will be held May 19, 2012 at 2:00pm at Mount Greene Cemetery, Willow Creek, MT.

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