Sailmaker and Family Man
By Woody Freeman
Gilbert Owen Martin
(2/12/1916 – 5/21/1978)
Gilbert Owen Martin was born on February 12th, 1916 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and resided with his father, William Owen “Willie” Martin, and his mother, Grace Gooden[1] By 1923, when he was 6 years old, Gilbert had one younger brother and two younger sisters, Lawrence, Ellen, and Lucy, and lived on a farm, where his father worked as a farmer. Gilbert Owen would attend school before leaving in his fourth year at College View High School and working as a Deliveryman for Spiers Laundry in Lincoln, Nebraska. On March 4th, 1937, Gilbert Owen would marry Marie Froscheiser and welcome the birth of their daughter Judith Ann Martin on July 16th, 1939, and son, Marvin Owen Martin, on May 19th, 1943.
However, at the age of 28, Gilbert Owen would be drafted into the United States Navy on June 24th, 1944, and serve for 2 years, achieving the rank of Sailmaker’s Mate 2nd class (SSM2). A Sailmaker’s Mate is a petty officer rank within the US Navy and was given the responsibility of maintaining the ship’s sails and other canvas equipment, including hammocks, bags, and awnings. He also focused on repairing, storing, and maintaining all of these items onboard the ship.
Gilbert Owen would leave the U.S Navy on January 15th, 1946 and move back to Lincoln, Nebraska, and resume working at Spiers Laundry as a Superintendent. On July 16th, 1949, he would marry Maxime Wimp after divorcing Marie Froscheiser. During the 1950s, Gilbert Owen would move to Colorado and reside in Golden, Colorado. On August 22nd, 1961, Judith Ann Martin, Gilbert’s eldest child passed away at the age of 22. Gilbert Owen would pass away in Denver, Colorado on May 21st, 1978 at the age of 62. Due to his service during the Second World War in the United States Navy, he was buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, and received his final roll call on June 23rd, 2017.
Footnotes ↓
Information for this biography can be found at:
[1] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180312165/gilbert-owen-martin https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96174201/marie_bippes https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1265/records/998487305 https://www.fold3.com/image/624025411/martin-gilbert-owen-page-1-us-wwii-draft-registration-cards-1940 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/17114993?tid=&pid=&queryId=2965ff17-8fbb-4bc0-a0d2-336a1d920d21&usePUBJs=true
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