Terrance D. "Terry" Martin

Terrance Dean "Terry" Martin passed away Sunday, March 1, 2015, at The Living Center in Stevensville of natural causes.

He was born on March 17, 1933, in Lewistown to Roland T. Martin and Arlene (Fritzen) Martin. Terry grew up in Lewistown, where he attended Fergus County High School. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1952 and was based out of Francis E. Warren AFB in Wyoming and served in the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1960. Terry married Doris M. Finkbeiner in 1956 and had five children. He worked for 93 Chrysler in Missoula for 17 years as a mechanic, later moving to Western Engines as a diesel mechanic, where he worked for 10 years. He spent the next 10 years as a diesel mechanic at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. He finished his working career at Century Paving in Lewistown. Terry loved the homestead where he grew up and was later able to acquire a portion of the land, where he and his wife assembled their log home and diesel shop. Terry had a passion for racing cars and did just that for 8 1/2 years. He belonged to the Missoula Auto Racers Club and received numerous trophies, including the State of Montana Super Stock Champion award. He was an avid fan of NASCAR and enjoyed watching his idol Richard Petty on race day.

Terry was preceded in death by his parents and his half-brothers, Kenneth W. Martin and Steven J. Doty. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Doris; his five children, Linda Evans of Spanaway, Washington, Roger Martin of Spokane, Jeff Martin (Michelle) of Missoula, Terri Lynn Moore of Huntsville, Alabama, and Merri Martin of Missoula; his two brothers, Roland T. Martin (JoAnn) of Melbourne, Florida, and Francis R. Martin (Karon) of Lewistown; 17 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

A celebration of Terry's life will be held in Lewistown on Aug. 8. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of Missoula. The family would like to express our gratitude to Hospice of Missoula for all of their help and support.
Read Terrance Martin's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.