Gary F. Martin
Gary Martin
Gary F. Martin, 87, died May 15, 2024, at his home in Glasgow.
He was born June 4, 1936, to parents Francis L. Martin and Velva Mae (Major) Martin in Williston, N.D. He was the oldest of six brothers: Robert, Thomas, Dennis, Lyle, Douglas and William.
He attended Williston, N.D., schools and graduated in 1954. He was a member of the 1953 state football winning team, the 1954 state runner- up basketball team and played and excelled in American Legion Baseball.
He attended Minot State College before entering the U.S. Army in 1955. He trained in Fort Chaffee, Ark., and Fort Sill, Okla., before shipping to Germany. He served in Germany until 1957 when he was called home to Williston, N.D., when his mother died at the age of 42. Six weeks later, his father died, also at age 42. At 20 years old, he was left with six younger brothers ages 18 to 18 months. He was honorably discharged at Fort Riley, Kan., in August 1957.
While home for his father’s funeral, he met Judi Scarr who was a student at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. In 1958, she began teaching in Grenora, N.D. They married in 1959. The fall of 1959, she obtained a teaching position in the Dickinson, N.D., school system. He entered Dickinson State College in 1959. He graduated from Dickinson State in 1961.
He and Judi began teaching in Golva, N.D., in 1961. He was a teacher, high school principal and varsity coach. He coached the Golva Tigers to their first-ever regional basketball tournament where they were defeated by the Mandaree Warriors, the eventual state champion.
In 1962, they moved to Culbertson where he taught and coached winning championships in football and basketball. In 1966, he received his master’s degree in school administration at Montana State University - Bozeman. He was named superintendent of the Culbertson School System that same year and served as their superintendent until 1972.
Their daughter, Lisa Lynn (1964), and son, Robert Gary (1968), were born in Culbertson.
In 1972, he became the superintendent of schools in Glasgow. He served as superintendent there for 27 years until the summer of 1999. During this time, North Star School was opened at the Glasgow Air Force Base serving the Air Force, Mountain Plains programs and later the Family Training Center families. Enrollment in the Glasgow School System exceeded 2,000 students. He was proud of his accomplishments.
He was a member of the American School Administrators, Montana School Administrators of which he served as president and Phi Delta Kappa educational organization. He was on the original team from Montana that enabled the Montana Schools to participate in Close Up for students to visit Washington, D.C., and an original organizer of the Valley County Crisis Line.
He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Glasgow and the Kiwanis Club for many years.
He loved to travel with his wife and family, especially to Mexico where they were involved in a mission and summers at Flathead Lake. He and Judi spent many winters in Arizona where he played on a softball team for men over 55. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by twin babies; and all of his younger brothers, Robert, Thomas, Dennis, Lyle, Douglas and William.
He is survived by his wife, Judi; children, Lisa Martin Hines and Robert Gary Martin; four grandchildren.
His celebration of life will be held at First Lutheran Church in Glasgow on June 4, his birthday, at 1 p.m. with Pastor Scott Kiehn officiating.
