Ethna Martin

Ethna Martin, age 92, of Staten Island, New York passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. She was born on January 4, 1931, in East Orange, NJ. As an infant, she was brought to Staten Island and resided there for the rest of her life, beginning in New Brighton, then St. George, and lastly in Eltingville. She attended St. Peter's Elementary and St. Peter's High School for Girls.

She went to work at Chase National Bank as a Stenographer and shortly moved to Secretary, then Executive Secretary. While at Chase, she took advantage of classes at the American Institute of Banking. She worked at the bank for thirteen years.

In 1956, she met and married Vernon Martin, and shortly thereafter, bought a house in Eltingville where she lived until her death. Vernon and Ethna became one of the founding members of the Great Kills Swim Club. She became involved in the many activities of the club during Summers and served as secretary on the Board of Directors for many years.

After resigning from the bank, she started classes at the College of Staten Island with the goal of working with children. In 1961, she started teaching at St. Clare's School in Great Kills. A short time later, Gerard Martin came to live with them. They had many happy memories of travelling, especially to Ireland. In 1967, daughter Laurie Jean came to live with them. The following year, they were joined by their son, Vernon Jr.

During the children's school years, Ethna was active in the various parent organizations at Farrell High School, P.S. 55, St. Clare's and St. Joseph by the Sea High School. She became a member of the AOH - Ancient Order of Hibernians - and enjoyed all the fun-filled activities scheduled by the fundraising and educational opportunities offered by the division.

Vernon and Ethna spent much of their free time taking the children to many resorts in the Poconos and Catskills, which offered activities tailored towards children like horseback riding and snow activities. They also cruised to Bermuda. To begin every summer, a stay on Long Beach Island was a must. Summer days were spent at the Swim Club, and at the end of the summer was our annual block party with many fun activities for children and adults.

When the children were off on their own, Vernon and Ethna continued to travel, visiting sites such as the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Key West, New England states, and Canada.

As Vernon's Parkinson's Disease started to advance, it kept them close to home, but allowed them to participate in Support Groups. They were also blessed with three beautiful grandsons: Brian, Christopher, and Sean, and were fortunate to be able to see them frequently.

Vernon passed away in 2005, and Ethna relied on her many good friends to keep her busy and attend activities close to home. Her health deteriorated due to spinal stenosis, and began to curtail her interests and ventures.

A visitation for Ethna will be held Monday, June 26, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Casey McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home, 30 Nelson Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10308. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 11:00 AM in St. Clare Church, 110 Nelson Ave, Staten Island, NY 10308.