Clara Martens

Clara Pauline Martens, 82, of Red Wing, died peacefully in her home on Thursday, June 2, 2011. She was born June 22, 1928, one of eleven, to Peter and Mary (Meneguzzo) Nicoletti in Herbster, Wisconsin. She grew up in the Herbster area and graduated from South Shore High School. She married her high school sweetheart, Peter Martens on March 31, 1951 in Cornucopia, Wisconsin and they moved to Bemidji, Minnesota, where Peter began his teaching career. In 1966 they moved to Red Wing. Peter died unexpectedly in 1978. Mostly a talented homemaker, Clara also had worked at Flower Valley Orchards as an apple picker. She returned to Herbster following Peter's death to live near her siblings and in 2008 came back to Red Wing where she had resided at Jordan Towers. She was very active in the Red Wing quilting community and she loved babysitting for her great-grandchildren. Clara fully enjoyed life, being with people, and doing things for others, especially when it came to baking treats to share. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cornucopia.

She is survived by two children, Mary (Mark) Schoeder of Bay City, Wisc. and Donald Martens of Red Wing; 2 grandsons, Jeremy (Meagan) of Red Wing and Chad Schoeder of Bay City; 3 great-grandchildren, Calleigh, Kinsey and Olivia; four sisters, Elizabeth Pearson of Maple, Wisc., Bernadine Treviranus of Poplar, Wisc., Louise (Dwight) Johnson and Delores (Richard) Lowney both of Port Wing, Wisc. and numerous nieces and nephews who loved her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband; 4 brothers, Angelo, Johnny, Dominic and Tony and 2 sisters, Mary and Katie.

Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Monday, June 6, 2011, at Cornerstone Community Church with Reverend Mark Kalb officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service at the church and a luncheon will follow the service.