Steve Martin Clear Lake

CLEAR LAKE | Steve Martin, a lifelong resident of Clear Lake, died at his home in the Meadow Lake apartment complex on Buddy Holly Place on Feb. 6. The cause was complications of Influenza A. He was 62.

Steven Alfred Martin was born in Mason City on Aug. 11, 1954, to Roy B. Martin Jr., who was a postmaster in Clear Lake, and the former Eileen G. Anderson, a bookkeeper and homemaker. He grew up in the house on North Fourth Street where his family had lived for more than a century.

Early on, Steve showed great talents and a keen memory. He taught himself to read at age three by watching quiz shows on television, and had read much of the World Book by the time he started school. His early artwork included rolls of drawings of hundreds of Heckle and Jeckles, the cartoon crows, as they precariously perched on seemingly endless telephone lines. Arguably, this work presaged trends in pop art.

Steve earned associate degrees from North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City and Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. He then attended Minnesota State University, Mankato.

He worked as a printer at Plaza Printing and Publishing Co. on Main Avenue in Clear Lake. For many years, he has been employed by North Iowa Vocational Center, N.I.V.C., which promoted him just before he became ill to the post of production assistant.

Steve, who once played tuba in the municipal band, loved to read everything from comic books, which he collected, to political biographies to science texts. He relished old-time T.V., never tiring of classic episodes of "I Love Lucy" and "Star Trek." He sometimes played Monopoly for whole days with his childhood friend Steve Goranson, using gag cards he printed. He enjoyed toy trains, autumn walks, bad puns and visiting the Anderson family farm and relatives in Estherville.

Steve is survived by his brother, Douglas; Doug's wife, Suzanne O'Keefe; his nephews Roy and Guy; his aunt, Marilyn Anderson; and many cousins. He will be missed by his friends at NIVC, particularly roly-poly Jinx, the mascot cat.