Ivar C. Martin

WARNER – Ivar C. Martin, known to many as Father Martin or Ole Man Martin passed away Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, after enjoying Christmas with his children. Ivar was very fortunate to have been married to Mary Joan Martin who was the true love of his life. He and his wife made a happy home with four children, Ivar, Sandra, Gordon and Donna.

This obituary is about the wonderful man they called DAD. Our Dad will forever be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor and his joking, his eternal optimism about life and people, fast smile and the humor he spread, and the many, many friends he always made. He was what one refers to as a "Man's man." He was really "top shelf".

He will forever be remembered for the wonderful family life and home he provided for his children. For the determination with which he persevered to provide for his family. Growing up you could set the clock by when our Dad came home. He would get home at ten minutes past four everyday, walk into the house, kiss our Mom hello and then come outside and play with us. Playing with us might include helping my brothers build a fort in the woods, helping us build a dirt bike track in our backyard, helping us shovel the pond off so that we could have neighborhood hockey games or making a fire so that we could toast marshmallows after a night of skating on our pond. Later years, it was fixing cars in the garage.

His children thank him for the lessons that he taught them; always to be honest-never to take as much as a postage stamp from another- to always do the right thing and therefore know that you had nothing to fear, to always believe in yourself because often times you may be the only one who did, to be grateful and appreciate the little things in life; a beautiful bird, a crisp sunny warm day, a perfectly ripe tomato from the garden, the smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of the wood stove on a cold day, being rightfully tired from a long honest day of work.

Our Dad had the biggest, kindest heart and gentle spirit of any man. He easily made friends and he always looked after Mother Nature's animals; he has been feeding birds, foxes, bears and raccoons for his whole life. Growing up in our family, our Dad's motto was we could have any pet we wanted as long as we took care of that pet. Therefore, we had ten ducks, five geese, four dogs, twelve cats, two chickens, one horse, one cow and we all learned from our Dad to be kind and gentle and tend to those animals.

One son described Dad as a hard working bumble bee. In thinking about that phrase, it fits our Dad perfectly. He was always out and about smiling and working hard to make life better. He would tell us don't spend your money on me, go out and about your shopping and give other people stuff. For me, just a hug and a kiss and knowing that you are fond of me is good enough.

The words and the lessons that a father speaks and shares to his children in the privacy of his home are never heard by the world, but they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity.

Our Dad became a master mason in 1977 and after all these years continues to be a member of the Harris Lodge, Number 91 in Warner.

A memorial lunch and celebration of his life will be held Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. at the Harris Lodge, Number 91. It would be our Dad's last wish that all his friends and neighbors would join him on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. to enjoy a bite to eat and a cold beer.

In honoring our Dad and his love for animals, please consider making a donation to the Friends of Homeless Animals, a non-profit volunteer group that helps rescue Boston Terriers, Boston mixes and other small dogs. One hundred percent of your donations go straight to the cause. Donations can be made via Pay Pal through their website(FOHARI.ORG) or checks can be made payable and sent to FOHA, 8052 Bonito Drive, Marathon, Florida 33050.

Our Dad is survived by all his children and grandchildren who all loved to visit with Grampy.

Our dad's constant and joyous 4 legged companion, Sophie, will be cared for by his children.

The Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service Henniker is assisting the family. For more log on to holtwoodburyfh.com.