Emma Jean Martin

Emma Jean Cooley was born July 10, 1925 in New Albany, IN. As a child she went to school at Silver Street Elementary and at junior high at the old Peoples College on Spring St. I, William M Martin, met Emma Jean in chorus at New Albany High School, in January of 1941 when I was the new kid in school after transferring from Lebanon, IN. Though I had very few dates in school, after graduation in 1943, I finally asked a girl for date, Emma Jean Cooley. She said yes and we have been together ever since. In those uncertain war years I was in the Army Air Corps and Emma Jean was working in the war effort at the Charlestown Powder Plant lab. After the war we were married in January of 1946, where we lived on Williams Air Field near Phoenix, AZ for a short time. Our first two children were born in Lafayette, IN. I was a student at Purdue and worked for the outdoor Maintenance Dept., while Emma Jean worked in the English Dept. In 1950 we bought a house in Clarksville and eventually added our last two children another daughter and a son, which completed our family. Now, 62 years later, after making Clarksville our home we have lost a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Emma Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Anna Wimp Cooley and James Edward Cooley; her brother James Cooley; her sisters Annetta Reinhart and Janet Kremer; her cousins Junior, Ray, Jack and Richard Cooley.

Emma Jean is survived by her husband of 65 years William Martin; children Micki Sellmer (Randy), Jacki Kincaid, Kit Rager (Larry) and Bill Martin (Shawn); grandchildren Jeffrey Dempsey, Chris Dempsey, Lance Rager, Kara O’Neil, Nick Kincaid, Elise Stephens, Kyle Rager, Katie Kincaid, Martin Sellmer, KLeigh Sellmer, Jaxon Martin, Sawyer Martin and great-grandchildren, Tristan Sellmer, Wyatt Dempsey, Wasin Dempsey, Aschiwat Dempsey, Jacob Rager, Olivia Rager, Caia Rager and Seamus O’Neil.

As a teenager Emma Jean was a great roller skater. As a young woman we enjoyed square dancing for many years. We hiked and camped traveling from Yucatan to the Arctic Circle. Many of those adventures included the Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon and the entire Appalachian Trail. We bicycled all over Indiana and in 1992 biked from Wenatchee, Washington to York Town, Virginia. Even though we enjoyed a full life and many adventures together, it is still hard to lose her.

Visitation will be at Kraft Funeral Home 708 E. Spring St., New Albany, IN on Tuesday from 3:00 pm -8:00 pm. Service will be held on Wednesday at 10:00 am at Kraft Funeral Home.

www.Kraftfuneralservice.net