Harriet Doris Martin

Harriet was born Harriet Doris Larsen, August 13, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. Her grandparents came to the US from Norway in the mid 1800s and settled in New York City among other Norwegian immigrants. Her father was a builder and moved to Detroit to take advantage of the building opportunities that the burgeoning auto industry created. Due to the depression, building opportunities in Detroit ceased and the family returned to New York in 1931 upon the promise of a job for her father in a factory.

The family settled on Staten Island, and joined Zion Lutheran Church, a Norwegian church that was founded in 1894 and is still in existence today. The church was initially found by members of the sizable Norwegian community of Staten Island who wished to attend Lutheran worship and Sunday school in their native language. It was there that Harriet came to faith in Christ, a faith that was to be tested and strengthened by later challenges and losses in her life.

Harriet graduated from Curtis High School in 1941 (also still in operation), and the byline under her yearbook picture states, “A little bundle of joy.” What was evident in high school would prove true throughout the years; she had a quick wit, a winsome smile, and an infectious laugh.

After high school she began working in clerical jobs in Manhattan, and she enjoyed working in the city and travelling to and from work on the State Island Ferry. One of her jobs was in Rockefeller Plaza, and she recalled bumping into Frank Sinatra in the lobby. On another occasion she and a girlfriend saw an elevator with only one other man in it; they quickly got in and laughed to themselves that they had a private elevator. When the gentleman got off, the elevator operator asked if they knew who he was. To their surprise, they found out it was John Rockefeller and they were in his private elevator.

Harriet met her husband, Roy Martin, while he was stationed on Staten Island with the Coast Guard during WWII. They met at a bowling alley, and her brother, feeling sorry for the lonely sailor, decided to invite him to their house. Harriet joked that she “bowled him over.” She must have, because Roy called the house the next day and the couple began dating and fell in love. Roy received orders to Japan and asked Harriet to wait for him. He wrote letters every day, leading the mailman to comment to her mother, “This guy must have it bad for your daughter.” Roy got as far as Hawaii when the war ended, and he returned to Staten Island where the two were married on April 13, 1946.

They moved to Beckley, West Virginia, Roy’s hometown. Roy’s family was Baptist and Harriet joined the 1st Baptist Church of Beckley. They had 5 boys, David and Darrell who were twins, and Dwight, Gary and Paul. Darrell died 4 days after his birth and Dwight was still born. As David grew he began showing signs of being developmentally delayed and physically handicapped; it was determined that he suffered brain damage at birth, which was the cause of his twin brother’s death. Harriet prayed that David would be OK, but when it was evident that he would be handicapped, she sought the Lord to know how to raise a special needs child as a young mother. 2 Corinthians 12:9 became a verse that especially spoke to her, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Life in West Virginia was not easy for the family financially. Nevertheless, God was faithful in providing their needs, and where David’s care was concerned, God provided an excellent pediatrician who won a national award for pediatrician of the year.

In 1961 the family moved to the Washington, DC area where Roy had obtained a job as a security guard with the Federal government. In 1966 the family settled in District Heights, Maryland, which remained the family home for 34 years. During this time, David’s condition worsened and the doctors recommended that he be institutionalized. Harriet’s response was “over my dead body.” Her prayers for wisdom were answered as she always knew what David needed. She proved the doctors wrong and advocated for him to gain employment in a sheltered workshop. His health remarkably improved and he worked for over 30 years. She was able to balance the demands of raising and caring for a special needs child with always being present for and attending to the needs of Gary and Paul and running the household affairs in an organized manner. She learned to drive in her mid-40s. She was an excellent driver and was never daunted by occasionally getting lost, as she said it was the best way to find her way around. In addition to being a wife and mom, Harriet worked part-time as a teletypist for 25 years at Sears, and she was active in church, including briefly teaching a Sunday school class for mentally retarded adults.

Roy died in 1989, and upon her retirement, Harriet continued her church involvement by attending senior adult Bible studies and social outings and retreats. Harriet, David and Paul moved to Bowie in 2000 to live in a house that could accommodate David’s needs. In 2001, at the age of 78, she suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed in her left hand and unable to walk. She gave permission for David to be placed in a group home, where he was proud of being able to live “independently.” He was there for only a few months when at the age of 55 he died unexpectedly from a heart attack. In 2005 Harriet was diagnosed with cancer, which was successfully removed before spreading, and in the last 8 years of her life she had Alzheimer’s disease, which progressed very slowly. Even though in the last 2-3 years she was not able to think clearly and recognize people, she never lost that gleam in her eye or her winsome smile, and her presence in our lives at home remained a blessing. She passed away very peacefully in her sleep at her home in Bowie on May 19, 2016.

In addition to raising 3 children, Harriet had 3 grandchildren, Christopher, Katie (Fox) and Tricia; a daughter-in law Dorothy Martin; a grand-daughter-in-law Alison Martin and grandson-in law Preston Fox, and seven great grandchildren – Madelyn, Mallory, and Colin Martin, and Colyn, Austin, Caleb and Luca Fox.

God’s grace was evident in Harriet’s life as He granted her wisdom, a steadfast faith, and strength of spirit. This “little bundle of joy” was a delight to all who knew her, and her life is a testimony that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. She will be dearly missed, but we rest on the promise of being reunited with her one day. In John 11:25 Jesus stated, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

Death Notice published in Bowie Blade:

Harriet Doris Larsen Martin, born August 13, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan, was called home by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 19, 2016. She died peacefully at her home in Bowie, MD at the age of 92.

She is predeceased by her husband of 43 years, Roy Luster Martin, two infant sons, Darrell & Dwight Martin; her oldest son, David Roy Martin; and brother, Lawrence Oliver Larsen.

She is survived by her sons, Gary Charles Martin (spouse, Dorothy Ellis Martin) and Paul Elliott Martin; three grandchildren, Christopher Michael Martin (spouse, Alison Martin), Kathryn Lynn Martin (spouse, Preston Blaine Fox), and Tricia Marie Joy Martin; and seven great-grandchildren, Colyn Lee Fox, Austin Scott Fox, Caleb Randy Fox, Madelyn Marie Martin, Luca Riley Martin Fox, Mallory Anne Martin and Colin Michael Martin. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Eleanor Larsen.

A visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm Thursday, June 2, 2016 and from 9:30 am until time of funeral service at 10:30 am on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, 16000 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715.

She will be laid to rest with her husband Roy and son David at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Cheltenham, MD on Friday, June 3, 2016. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gideons International, www.gideons.org.

Online condolences can be left at www.RobertEvansFuneralHome.com.