William Martin, age 78 of Maple Grove, Minn., died April 28, 2023 at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minn. “Bill” was born in 1944 in Ellsworth, Wis., the son of Raymond and Muriel Martin. He was raised in rural Ellsworth on the farm, graduating from high school in the class of ‘62. As a young man, he helped with the family business (Corner Cupboard) in Ellsworth as did his other siblings. He took a fondness to cooking that lasted his lifetime. He furthered his education at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls.
Bill had a gifted engineering mindset. Initially, he worked on the Prairie Island Power Plant, and was a cook and bartender at area locations. He later worked in construction and engineering roles across the country for paper pulp mills, breweries, power plants, and the Ford Plant in Saint Paul through the engineering company who employed him. His work before retiring was implementing control systems and building CAD engineering drawings of power substations for Great River Energy.
In 2013, he said “I do” at Dean’s Supper Club in Maple Grove to Susan Scully. The couple made Maple Grove their home. Earlier in life, he enjoyed collecting coins from geographic areas that reflected the ancestry of family and friends. He always looked forward to car trips back home to Ellsworth and country drives to check on farmsteads and how the crops were coming which were opportunities to stop at a small diner along the way. He also enjoyed staying home and watching a romantic comedy with Susan, and watching an occasional hummingbird drinking nectar from the flowers.
Bill is survived by his wife and best friend Susan; siblings Robert (Kathryn) Martin, Colleen (Aaron) Nascimento; sister-in-law Mary Mattson; nieces/nephews Jason (Jessica), Danielle (Steve), and Erin (Jason). His parents; sister Sharon Johnson; nephew Roger Johnson; and brother-in-law Robb Mattson precede him in death.
A Memorial Service remembering William “Bill: Martin will be 2 p.m. Thursday, May 18 at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Ellsworth, 130 N. Grant St., Ellsworth, WI. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Ellsworth. Memorials preferred to the discretion of the family.
Memorial and cremation services are entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Ellsworth, www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com, 715-273-4421
