Dr. Benjamin Martin died on March 30, 2024. He was 90 years old and lived in Lincoln, NE. He had previously lived in Pender, NE. You are welcome to visit at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Pender on Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. At 7 p.m., there will be a Rosary and a time for family to talk about the death. Mass will be held at Pender’s St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 10 a.m.
An honor guard will be present at the burial at Rosehill Cemetery in Pender. We will all meet at Pender’s Community Center for lunch after that. Dennis (Julie) Martin, Susie Cohee, and Gayle (Norbert) Holtz, his siblings, are also still alive. He has a sister-in-law named Irene Martin.
Also living are Kim Benson, Jeff Ruskamp, Steve Martin, Jeanne Martin, Mike Martin, Viann Martin, Joni Duncan, Julie Melena, Jill Bessmer, 37 grandchildren and their spouses. Besides grandkids, there are 46 great-grandchildren. Ben and Ginger were together for only three weeks before he joined the army. While he was home on leave, they went on a lot of dates and wrote to each other every week. He finished his college degree and was accepted to medical school when he got back from his two years in the military. On January 28, 1956, Ginger and Ben said their wedding vows. As Ben moved forward in medical school, they soon began a family. Ginger will always be there for him and his dreams.
Ben and Ginger moved to Pender, Nebraska, in 1960, after finishing medical school. There, they raised their kids and bought a house. Ben had been a doctor in Crawford, Nebraska, before. Their seventh child died before it was born, but they were able to adopt four more. People remember Ben’s many well-written pieces about his time at his kids’ sports games, on holidays, fishing trips, and other family events, as well as his love of spending time with friends. He worked as a doctor for 62 years and helped many people. He was in charge of medicine at Pender Hospital for more than 30 years. People from Crawford, Pender, Beemer, and the nearby places were his patients. He was a dentist in Lincoln for ten years and shared an office with his son, Dr. Michael Martin.
Five times, he was named Pender Businessman of the Year. In 1999, he was named Nebraska Physician of the Year. Ben did a lot as a doctor, but one of his favorite things was happily giving birth to 2,000 babies. Ben and Ginger were married for almost 66 years and have eleven children, 37 grandkids, 46 great-grandchildren, and more are on the way. For the most part of their lives, they had pets. In the past few years, he was often seen with his dogs, Lexi and Sammie.
The last year Dr. Martin lived was in 2023. He lived in Crete, Nebraska. He lived in Lincoln from 2023 until the day he died. He liked living in Denton, Nebraska, and was a very religious Catholic. His parents, Lorin and Emma Martin, two siblings, Gene and Marian Dennis, and two brothers-in-law, Warren and Bill Cohee, all died before his beloved Regina “Ginger” Martin and two children, Mary and Dr. James “Jim” Martin.
Besides his sister-in-law Irene Martin, he is survived by three brothers: Dennis (Julie) Martin, Susie (Norbert) Holtz, and Steve (Simone) Martin. He also leaves behind his children Kim (Bill) Benson, Jeff (Donna), Jeanne (Martin), Mike (Viann), Shannon (Doug) Carroll, Joni Duncan, Julie (Pat) Melena, Jill (Chris) Bessmer, and daughter-in-law Jill Ruskamp (Randy). He also leaves behind 46 great-grandchildren. A lot of his friends, students, and people in the community are also sad about his death. He handled all of his patients with the utmost care and respect, no matter what their gender, status, race, or ethnicity was.
He was on a number of important boards, such as hospital boards, school boards, and religious boards. We will be able to visit on Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The same place will host a prayer on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 7:00 PM. The funeral Mass will be held at the same place on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 10:00 AM.
