Doris Ann Martin

Doris Ann Martin, 80, Devils Lake, ND died on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at her winter home in Fargo, ND under the loving care of her family and Hospice. Funeral Services for Doris will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, Devils Lake. Rev. Cody Schuler will officiate and burial will be in the Christiansen Cemetery, rural Park River in the spring. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Tuesday from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service and Time of Sharing at 7:30 p.m. Visitation on Wednesday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Serving as Casket Bearers for Doris will be Walter Ramsey, Dennis Meier, Scott Thompson, Mike Hammond, Rodney Brown and Ray Borgeson. Honorary Bearers will be Ruth Ramsey, Shawn Meier, Marilyn Thompson, Caroline Hammond, Donna Borgeson, Naomi Modrow, Edna Vrem, Shirley and Lee Anderson. Music will be provided by Donovan Foughty and Karen Radisewitz, vocalists and Lynda Pearson, organist. Doris Ann Liddle was born on June 15th, 1928 on a farm south-east of Park River, N.D. the youngest daughter of the late William A. and Mary (Ramsey) Liddle. She attended Ramsey Grove Elementary School and graduated from Walsh County Agricultural School in Park River in the spring of 1946. Doris worked on the family farm from 1945 through the fall of 1950, while also caring for her ailing father who died November 1950. That fall she enrolled in nurses training at St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo, N.D.; graduating in 1953. She met Alan Martin in 1951 on a blind date, and promptly fell in love with his charismatic charm; she married this very persistent man September 20th, 1953 in Park River, and since then the two of them have been pretty much inseparable. They established their home in Devils Lake that fall and have lived there until the present day. As a registered nurse she worked at the Lake Region Clinic for a couple of years until their first child was born. After that she took pride in being a full time wife and mother. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, active in the United Methodist Women’s group. Doris was one of the founding members of Dakota Daughters homemakers club, she worked with 4-H while her children were young, was instrumental in organizing and facilitating the Friendly Town Program with Marilac House in Chicago, and participated in numerous Bible studies. She was an accomplished seamstress, loved to quilt, cross-stitch, and work with her hands. One of her main passions was genealogy, tracing her family history back to Ireland, England and Scotland, later writing a book on her life and compiling another for her family history. She and Alan loved to travel and had the opportunity to visit relatives and friends in many states and countries. Doris was an exceptional cook, she loved to bake and entertain family and friends. Her door was always open. She loved to relate stories of growing up on the North Dakota plains; tales of the long walks to school, riding horse, hypnotizing chickens, and working on the farm. She loved spring when all the creatures were having their babies, and the world was anew. Her smile was contagious, blue eyes sparkling; she felt gratitude at having the greatest life. Forever the nurse she was not shy about encouraging others to be aware of their health as she conveyed empathy, knowledge, charity and TLC. She was a very spiritual person, relying on her faith to sustain her. Doris’s greatest passion was to be the very best person she could be, selfless, she was always aware, rarely missing an opportunity to make the world a little bit better, a little bit brighter. She just loved being a wife and mother, taking pride in her children, their individual strengths and being their constant cheerleader. She loved by affection, always building, deliberate in her use of positive reinforcement, touching so many lives. Is there a greater legacy than that? She will be remembered and deeply missed by her husband Alan of Devils Lake, her children: Ann (Don) Irmen; Nancy (Mark) Koehn all of Fargo, N.D.; Karen (Cary) Radisewitz of Luverne, MN; Daniel Martin of Avon, CO; and John (Kathy) Martin of Devils Lake. Eleven grandchildren: Beth (Josh) Oien, Laura (John) Pitzl, Danny (Katy) Irmen; Travis, Nikole, and Haley Koehn; Jessie (Denis) Paquette, Leah and Alyssa Radisewitz; Kara and Jacob Martin. Three great-grandchildren: Jack and Grant Oien; and Mckinley Paquette; one brother Lloyd (Barbra) Liddle of San Dimas, CA, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and wonderful friends. She was preceded in death by her parents: three brothers; George, Robert, and Lawrence, and three sisters; Evangeline, Ethel, and Grace.