Kenneth "Pat" Patrick Martin

K. Pat Martin beloved husband, father, brother and uncle died Tuesday September 11, 2018, surrounded by the warmth of his loving family at Rockford Memorial Hospital from a traumatic brain injury due to a fall from a height, the week before. He was born in Freeport, Illinois on March 10, 1940, to Kenneth O. Martin and Theresa B. Sheehy Martin from Limerick Ireland. He attended St. Mary's Grade School and graduated from Aquin High School in 1957. He joined the Navy after he graduated and served on the USS Edmonds in the Pacific from 1958 to 1961 and then on Treasure Island until 1962. He was trained as an electrician and served as coxswain. He was frequently called upon to steer the ship. In 1961, he married his high school sweetheart Mickey Bauch of Freeport. They lived in Oakland California until they returned to Freeport in 1962. While raising his family he attended Highland Community College where he received his associate degree and went on to school at Northern Illinois University where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration. He was an entrepreneur first in the Bauch Ever Soft business where he bought a country soft water route and, after expanding it, he sold it and went into the business of buying and restoring homes in Freeport. He began a career in real estate and became a broker and established his own business, Martin Realty. There was an opening in maintenance at Micro Switch and a friend encouraged him to apply. He was hired as a maintenance electrician. After a couple years, there was an opening in the purchasing department and he was hired as a purchasing agent. In 1996, he achieved the title of Certified Purchasing Manager. Part of his job involved off shore "chip" buying for Micro. The chips were used to assemble products for the military and space program. He traveled frequently to both the east and west coast on his buying trips. He then retired from Micro in 2002 after a successful career in purchasing. Most important in Pat's life was his family. He spent many summer weekends taking them to Buffalo Lake in Montello, Wisconsin where his parents had a cabin. He taught his children at a young age how to fish, to handle a boat and to water ski. In the winter it was ice fishing. There were many trips with other families, water skiing, snow skiing in Colorado and Wisconsin. Road trips were frequent in both summer and winter. Pat bought a lake house on Lake Moshaquit in Northern Wisconsin where there were many adventures over the years with family and friends. Pat organized the many Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with extended family and friends over the years as well as summer cookouts that became traditions to which his friends and family looked forward. He never missed a track meet that any of his girls were in and took great pride in their accomplishments. In 1967, he took his mother back to Limerick Ireland, her first and only visit to see her brothers and sisters and their families. Along with his wife and daughters Kelly age 4 and Mary age 3. They all stayed in the family home in Gerryowen, where they spent three weeks visiting numerous uncles, aunts and cousins in and around Limerick on the west coast of Ireland and in Kilkee on the ocean. His Irish heritage became a big part of his life and he was fond of "spinning" stories. He could talk to a stranger anywhere and made them feel like they had known him before. After he retired he made frequent trips to Ireland. Some of his cousins were able to visit Freeport in return. Pat's uncle Mick Sheehy, a Cistercian Monk, who took the name Brother Munchin, was able to visit the family in Freeport on two different occasions. Pat welcomed many people in his home and often took in nieces and nephews when their families fell on hard times or were ill. He welcomed an exchange student, Virender ("Vic") from India one Thanksgiving. After Vic married, and was living in Chicago, the family came for thanksgiving every year for over 35 years. Pat and his wife were invited to India for the Hindu wedding of Vic's nephew in Agra India. Pat was able to visit the Taj Mahal and New Deli where Vic was born. Pat loved to hunt and fish and became concerned for the land and restoring it to its natural prairie grasses. He saw that something needed to be done to protect wildlife, especially pheasants. He heard about Pheasants Forever (PF) and started the Highland Chapter. It became his passion to see the land restored for the animal population in Stephenson County. He recruited like-minded people to join him. He started holding banquets with auctions to raise money needed to establish habitat and food plots. He was President of the Chapter for many years and successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. He organized other chapters in Illinois and started the State Chapter of Pheasants Forever. The Highland Chapter was recognized at a recent Illinois convention as having the most acreage in food plots and native prairie grasses. He has spent many happy years teaching his grandsons how to fish, hunt, and to respect the land and the abundant wildlife it sustained. In the year 2000, he sold the lake property and was able to realize his dream of buying farm land in Stephenson County. He built a pole building and made part of it a living space that became his "man cave." There the PF Chapter was able to hold meetings, store equipment, and prepare for their annual banquets. He then turned the farm into food plots, prairie grasses, and planted numerous pine trees as well. He spent many hours at his beloved farm hunting, planting and relaxing on weekends. Many nieces and nephews and cousins and friends were always there helping and hunting. He welcomed them all. He also welcomed many overnight guests to his 4-bedroom hideaway, and held many large family and friends' picnics, celebrations and holiday gatherings. Pat was a "rock," providing help and support, in any way he could, to his brothers and sisters without question. He was a role model to many. He leaves a legacy of the importance of leadership, hard work, generosity, and compassion. Pat enjoyed his life and lived it to the fullest. He was often called by his family and friends, "one tough Irishman." He is survived by his wife Mickey of 58 years. His daughter Kelly Martin and husband Paul Hefner of Yosemite Calif and McCall Idaho, Mary Martin of Key West Florida, Cathy Wood (Kelly) of Boise Idaho and a special needs son Dan Martin who frequently accompanied him to many outings and trips to the farm. He has two grandsons Ryan and John Felin of Boise Idaho who he loved unconditionally and always looked forward to the time he spent with them. He leaves two sisters Bernie (Bill) Eberle and, Veronica DeBoer of Freeport and a special great nephew, Brock Feld. He has many nieces and nephews whose lives he touched. In addition, he is survived by numerous Sheehy cousins in Ireland, England, Canada and Australia. He was preceded in death by his infant son Michael Patrick, his sister Sheila Bender, his brother Stephen, and his niece Lori Carr. The family wishes to thank Rockford Memorial Hospital's Adult Critical Care Doctors, for their extraordinary care in a very difficult medical situation, and for the care and compassion of all the staff, especially the nurses. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at 11 a.m. on Monday September 17, 2018. The only visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of service at St. Thomas. An Irish Wake will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Eagles Club, 237 S. Main St. in Freeport. A private family burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery at a later date. We would like to invite all Pats Friends and Relatives to an" Irish Wake Memorial" at the Eagles Club on Sunday September 30, 2018 from 4 to 9pm to offer a toast and share a story or a memory. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided. In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established for Highland Chapter of Pheasants Forever, The Lowe Syndrome Association and the Aquin High School Scholarship Fund in Pat's name. Please sign Pat's guestbook and share a memory at http://www.burke-tubbs.com.