Hermine Margaret Martin

Hermine Margaret Gion was born on her family’s farm near Regent, North Dakota on December 12, 1925. She was the youngest of nine children born to Margaret Kilzer Gion and Michael Gion, immigrants from Hungary. She was embraced into the large clan of Kilzer/Gion aunts, uncles and cousins who lived close by which gave her a lifelong appreciation for the importance of family. As the youngest, she was cute, spoiled, and teased by her older siblings. Her childhood nickname was John Bull, and it stuck with her through high school. In elementary, she attended Cherry Butte School, east of Regent. After graduating high school in New England, Marge (as she preferred to be called), enrolled in nursing school, following the footsteps of her sister Hilda. She earned her nursing degree at St. Alexis in Bismarck, ND. She then moved to California to help Hilda with her toddlers and a newborn and worked at the hospital. She spent a couple of years there, then went back to Richardton, ND to help her aging parents. (If you are sensing a theme here, it’s that Marge was always willing to help others. While working at a clinic in Dickinson ND, Marge frequented the diner at the Ray Hotel. One day she was introduced to a young Okie from Owasso named Lee Martin. The rest, as they say, is history. After a two year courtship, Marge married Lee on Feb 28, 1957 at the Abbey in Richardton. They honeymooned in Denver, Colorado and never left. Over the next ten years, Marge and Lee had six daughters and a son. Marge devoted her life to raising her children. She dabbled in bowling and bridge clubs as a young suburban wife, but that never took precedence. She learned to drive in her thirties in order to take advantage of all the opportunities Denver had to offer her kids: swimming and piano lessons, theater and music, school events. And not least, taking that long drive up the Valley Highway to visit her sister Helen in Northglenn. No one could get Marge laughing like Helen and Marge took great joy in having Helen so close as they raised their families and spent holidays together. Alongside Marge's devotion to family, was her devotion to the Catholic faith. She tried always to live a good Christian life. When she was a youngster, she and her sister Ethel got a treat of candy from the hired man on the farm. They didn't want to share and hid their loot from their siblings. Unfortunately, the chickens found it and messed all over it. Marge took this as a lesson, “don’t be greedy”. She always reminded herself of how blessed she was in her life and that no matter her complaints, there were always others suffering more. One night while lying in bed awake, fretting over Dad snoring and the cats having her pinned down, she reminded herself that Martha Stewart had it worse as she was in prison at the time. All of us, her children, have stories of the good and bad times we have gone through. And the stories all include our mother who loved us, laughed with us, comforted us and took care of us when we needed it most. She deserved every moment of care and comfort we could give her in the last months of her life. Marge was preceded in death by Lee and is survived by seven children, eleven grandchildren and five, soon to be six great-grandchildren.