Glendene Martens

1929 - 2021

Glendene Martens

CHADRON, Neb. | Glendene Martens of Chadron, a long-time resident of Dawes County, died on Friday, October 29, at Crest View Care Center in Chadron at the age of 92. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be at a later date in the spring of 2022 at Chamberlain Chapel in Chadron.

She was widely known for her friendliness, good cooking, love of fishing, sewing, knitting and crocheting, antique hunting, and her 4-H leadership.

Glendene was born in Kilgore, Nebraska, on January 12, 1929, to Glen and Linnie Wallingford. As a child she lived with her family on a cattle ranch 30 miles south of Nenzel, Nebraska. After attending a rural school near her home, Glendene attended Chadron Prep High School on the Chadron State College campus.

In 1946, Glendene graduated from Chadron Prep and attended a graduation party where she met the love of her life, Lloyd Martens. They were married 13 months later on June 7, 1947, at the Chadron Congregational Church. The newlyweds joined Lloyd's parents on the family ranch north of Chadron that was homesteaded by Lloyd's grandfather, Wilhelm Martens, in 1888. Lloyd and Glendene assumed the management of the ranch five years later. It was the perfect place to raise their two daughters. The family received the Ak-Sar-Ben Pioneer Farm Award at the Dawes County Fair in 1988. In July 2016, they were inducted into the Dawes County Agricultural Hall of Fame.

In the mid-1950s, Jarvis Peddicord of Hobart, Indiana, purchased a ranch that joined the Martens ranch. For the next 25 years, Lloyd and Glendene were partners with Jarvis Peddicord. Mr. Peddicord leased the Martens' land, and owned the cattle while Lloyd provided the management, machinery, and labor. Glendene was known for her persistence in trying to remove all of the prairie dogs from the alfalfa bottoms on the ranch and for catching the best catfish in the White River.

Lloyd and Glendene lived on their ranch until retiring in 1993 and moving to 545 Beech Street in Chadron. In 2014, they "downsized" and moved to Prairie Pines. Due to Glendene's failing health, she moved to the Crest View Care Center in Chadron in 2016.

Both Glendene and Lloyd were project leaders for over 10 years when their daughters, Linda and Patty, were members of the Eager Beavers 4-H Club. After retiring, the couple traveled quite extensively in their fifth-wheeler and enjoyed fishing wherever they visited. Another favorite pastime for many years was watching the University of Nebraska volleyball team on television.

Glendene's husband of 69 years, Lloyd, passed away on January 3, 2017, at the age of 89. Glendene's survivors include daughter Linda (Michael) Maglione of Bar Nunn, Wyoming; grandsons Rodney (Paula) Mongold and Samuel (Brenda) Mongold, all of Casper, Wyoming; great grandchildren Katie (Chris) Unruh of South Weber, Utah, and Evan Dolajak of Casper, Wyoming, and daughter Patty (Jerry) Howell of Vail, Arizona.