A family man

We spent last week celebrating the life of Martin J. Maier. And what a life it was!

Marty was born in 1918, the eldest of Frank and Laura Maier’s eight surviving children.
Baby Marty – Spring 1919
Life on the farm in Spalding, Nebraska, was varied, with experiences ranging from being one of the first families with an automobile, to the Dust Bowls times when they drank hot water instead of coffee and the kids walked to school barefoot to spare their shoes.


Marty with his parents and brothers – before the girls and Ferd came along – 1926
(left to right: Morrie, Laura, Marty, Pat, Paul, Franz, Jimmy)

Marty graduated from Spalding Academy in 1935.

Check out that baby face!
In the 30s, the family moved to Yakima, Washington. Marty worked for Western Union, delivering telegrams and picking up cash from the local whorehouses on his Indian motorcycle. (He delighted in telling his grandkids all about that!)
 
In 1941, he was inducted into the U.S. Army. He served three tours in the Pacific, earning a Bronze Star and a Good Conduct Medal. He brought home a lot of memories from the war, good and bad, but he enjoyed telling us about the cute girls he knew in Australia.

Staff Sergeant Maier
At a USO dance in New Orleans, Marty met and fell in love with a local girl, Rosemary Byrnes. At the end of the war, she joined him in Benicia, California, where they married.

Lifemates
After Marty recovered from his latest bout of malaria, they moved to Yakima to be near his family. In 1946, their first child, Marjorie Mary, was born. Rosie tried to learn to be a farmer, but it might have been the day she and Grace were tasked with catching and killing a chicken that convinced her that life wasn’t for her. The little family moved to New Orleans, and in 1948, Frank came along.

Margie, Marty, and Frank on Constance Street
In 1950, Marty graduated Tulane University with a degree in electrical engineering. He accepted a job with Boeing, and the family crossed the country again, to Seattle this time. But in September, tragedy struck. Driving home from a visit to Yakima, their car rolled after being struck by a travel trailer. Margie was killed instantly. Her loss would haunt Marty for the rest of his life.

Injured in the crash, Rosie was in the hospital for a number of months. When she came home, they began to rebuild their lives, and Christine was born in Seattle in late 1951. Marty got a job with New Orleans Public Service Incorporated (NOPSI), and the family moved across country for the last time, finally settling into a house in Metairie that became the family home. Charles (Chuck) was born in 1953 and Judy, in 1955.

Marty’s crew – building the garage on Waltham Street
(Marty, Chuck, Chris, and Frank)
Judy and Marty
After that, life settled into a routine of family time, work, and the occasional family event.

Visiting Laura – circa 1967
The first grandbaby – Judy’s daughter Lori was born in 1974 and promptly wrapped Grandpa around her little fingers. Her little brother, Jerry, arrived in 1975 and followed suit.
And the arrivals continued. Here, Chris’ son, Paul, brushes what’s left of Grandpa’s hair.
By 1982, Marty wasn’t feeling very well, so he retired from NOPSI.

At his retirement party, his coworkers honored his love affair with the Saints…
…and evidently roasted him just a bit.
Being a good sport at DisneyWorld – 1983
Celebrating his 40th anniversary with Rosie and some of the family at a surprise party – 1984
(Marty, Rosie, Judy, Chris, Pat, Paul, Lori, Jerry)
Maier family reunion – 1985
(Jimmy, Pat, Ferd, Coonass Marty, Paul, Morrie)
By 1989, Marty had conquered bladder cancer, had a brain tumor removed, and undergone a valve replacement, so he was feeling much better. Unfortunately, his wife, Rosie, was by then struggling with emphysema, and in 1990, she died. Marty was left very sad and foundered a bit, but he was never alone and was immensely cheered by time with family.

Marty and his last-but-not-least grandbaby, Chloe – 1994
Maier family reunion at our house – 1994
(Morrie, Pat, Paul, Grace, Marty, Loretta)
Marty and his first great-grandchild, Lori’s son, Brian – 1995
Judy and Marty – Christmas 2002
Lori and Bobby’s wedding – November 2004
(Brian, Chiara, Chloe, Frank, MJ, Paul, Chris, Ronnie, Marty, Lori, Bobby, Judy, Gary, Jerry, Cori, Mark, Katie, Karen, Chuck, Eric)
Hippy Marty, granddaughter-in-law Cori, and great-granddaughter Molly – Halloween 2008
In June 2006, Marty suffered a stroke. His mobility and short-term memory were impaired. After a short stint in a nursing home, he moved into Judy’s house, where he lived comfortably, with his days brightened by regular visits from family, until he died on January 19, 2009.

Throughout his life, Marty lived with dignity and honor, providing a foundation for our family that was based on love, laughter, and simply doing the right thing. We will miss him very much.