1935-2024
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Martin Ivan Nelson on December 7, 2024 at the age of 89. He was surrounded by his family during his final days.
Martin was born in Secretan, Saskatchewan, to Norwegian immigrant parents. Martin was one of 8 siblings and was known for constantly getting into mischief.
Martin moved to Edmonton, where he met and married his beautiful loving wife, Lorraine, on June 28, 1958. In 1961, Martin & Lorraine settled into a bungalow in St. Albert, where they raised their five children. Martin remained in the same home, after Lorraine passed, with his granddaughter Genevieve. Genevieve was his steady sidekick and care provider until Martin’s final days.
In 1964, Martin founded L & M Ditching Ltd., a very successful business that still exists today. Martin was a dedicated businessman who was passionate about his company but also valued spending time with his family. He remained active in the company well into his 80’s. During that time Martin enjoyed visiting the shop daily, working on blueprints, playing with the cat, building Lego, playing practical jokes, and going for truck rides to check out potential jobs.
Martin was a positive, kind, humble, and humorous man. His greatest enjoyment in life was spending time with family and friends. He loved family BBQs, playing cards, building puzzles, building complex Lego sets, and attending Saturday morning breakfast with his friends. He had a genuine love for animals.
Martin touched many people’s lives and will be forever missed. He will be lovingly remembered by his 5 children, Richard (Diana) Nelson, Kathryn (Gary) Sumner, James (Zoeanne) Nelson, Douglas Nelson, and Gary Nelson; his grandchildren, Taylor Nelson, Jesse (Cassie) Postma, Danielle (Braden) Postma, Amanda Postma, Genevieve (Greg) Sumner, Danielle (Dallas) Hittinger, Shayle (Denys) Nelson, Brooklynn (Riley) Nelson, Alysha Campbell, Jenna Campbell, Darien Campbell, Chrystal (Jeremy) Payne, Megan (Russell) St. Germaine, Bella Nelson; his great-grandchildren, Mya Postma, Ava Postma, Ethan Postma, Liam Hittinger, Madelynn Campbell, Madison Payne, Hayden Payne, Oliver St. Germaine, and Brianna St. Germaine; and many friends.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Sturgeon Hospital & Homecare for showing remarkable care and compassion for Martin.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 1:00 pm at St. Albert Parish Catholic Church, 7 St. Vital Ave., St. Albert. Following the service, an interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery, 14611 Mark Messier Trail, Edmonton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the University Hospital Foundation.
