Joanne Martin Fairfax, Vermont Obituary

Joanne Martin

Joanne K. Martin, 74, of Essex, Vermont, died at home on Tuesday, December 18th, 2012. A resident of Essex since 1970, Joanne was born in Proctor, Vermont on November 6, 1938. The daughter of Joseph and Leston (Somers) Kearney, she grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. In the summer of 1960, while attending the University of Vermont, she and her roommate, Sheila, worked at the Shelburne Inn. Sheila was dating Bruce, an “Owl” or brother of the Lambda Iota fraternity at UVM. She suggested a blind date with Bruce’s roommate Paul. While not love at first sight, that’s what it turned into, and the two were married on September 1, 1962. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary starting with a pig roast and party at their home, followed by a weeklong family reunion in Southern Vermont. The couple resided in Burlington, where Joanne worked for the phone company. After the birth of the second of their four children, they decided to move to the country. There, they bought an old farmhouse which they set about renovating. Once the kids were in school, Joanne re-entered the work force by working at, and then owning and operating, Brettson’s in the Champlain Mill in Winooski along with an eventual second location in Essex Center. Joanne loved family reunions, impromptu road trips with friends, and dog shows. Her first dog, a black Labrador named Green Mountain Jewel, or Julie, led her into the world of dogs which would become a lifelong passion filled with travel, shows, and friends all across the world. She was a member of many local and national dog clubs, including the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Nashoba Valley, the Green Mountain Dog Club, and the club which owned a large piece of her heart, the Champlain Valley Kennel Club. Joining in the late sixties, she served CVKC in many capacities, including: show chair, treasurer, hospitality, secretary, and as its alternate delegate to the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs, where she worked tirelessly on animal humane issues. The club held summer handling classes on the tennis court out back, leading to one of her favorite stories of how the “The Friendly French Farmer” next door showed up one evening with a completely leash broken Holstein calf to proudly parade about the ring. That same gentleman, along with Rocky “the Brown Hornet” Brown, a former professional wrestler from Montreal, was responsible for naming one of her signature desserts—the “Sit-a-minute” ice cream pie, so named for the amount of time it needed to thaw before being sliced. Early on, she traveled with her dear friend professional handler Martha Covington Thorne. The adventures that they had were the stuff of legend. She was justifiably proud of the many dogs that she showed, both her own and those of friends, to wins and championships. Her first German Wirehaired Pointer, Laurwyn’s Aspen of Titushill, was particularly successful, becoming a top winner in her breed, followed by Aspen’s son, Walker, who was Winners Dog from the “Bred-by Class” (a major win) at the breed’s National Show. In later years, after the Wirehairs, she had Bernese Mountain Dogs before returning to her first love, the Labrador Retriever (black, of course!) Over the years of dog showing, Joanne made many memorable trips, including the trip she organized to Philadelphia for the AKC’s Centennial show in a fleet of Rent-a-Wrecks (complete with leash operated windshield wipers). Joanne met and befriended a wide range of people through dogs, and garnered a depth of wisdom about all things dogs which she shared generously and without question. She was the “go-to person,” no matter the question. And if she didn’t know the answer, you knew that she’d find it out. She was always there for anyone in need or in a crisis. She would, and did, drop everything to help out a friend in need. She brought breakfast to families when they lost a loved one, bought plane tickets to get grandkids home to funerals, it didn’t matter if you were a friend or a stranger, she was there. And if you were a friend, you were a friend for life. No matter what. Upon retiring, Paul and Joanne designed and built their “brand new old house” and began to travel. They took numerous road trips across the country, sometimes with Paul’s late sister Janet and her husband Harvey, or Paul’s brother Jim and his wife Pearl. Sometimes they took trips on their own, stopping by the historic Route 66 with Paul’s brother Pep and his wife Tonda, visiting Lambda brothers and stopping at points of interest. Their travels took them across the United States several times, crossing a different way each time. They visited the Maritimes of Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and cruised to Alaska. They stayed part of the winter of 2007 (missing the Valentine’s Day Blizzard) in Yuma, Arizona, and traveled to Mexico with Jim and Pearl, and Harvey and his wife, Mary Jane. Always the point of the travel was to do more than just see the country. It was to see the friends and family scattered about the country, as well. It would be impossible to count the number of weddings and family gatherings that they attended in Oregon or Wisconsin. Having come from a very small family herself, Joanne enjoyed spending time and keeping in touch with her new extended family of Paul’s siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as their children and grandchildren. She was not above the occasional well thought out prank, as evidenced by the “Great Ice Cream Gift Certificate Caper” that she hatched with Uncle Pepper at the Arlington Fire Department Fundraising Auction. She was also a great believer in greeting cards and sent them for each birthday and other special events. Joanne was, first and foremost, ferociously loyal to her friends and family. She stayed in touch and was there for them at the first sign of need. Joanne is survived by her husband of 50 years, Paul and their children, Terri, Rick and his wife, Claudine, Jim, and Patrick, all of Essex. Also surviving her are Rick and Claudine’s daughters, Sydney and Abigail. She is survived by Paul’s brothers Jim and his wife, Pearl, of Oregon, Pepper and his wife, Tonda, of Indiana, Paul’s brother-in-law Harvey and his wife, Mary Jane, of Wisconsin. She is also survived by brother Dan, and his wife Paula of Proctor. Joanne had many, many long time close friends, but amongst them, was particularly close to Ruth Woodard, Debbie Mulvey, and John Cornell. She loved all of her dogs and cats, but had always held her orange tabby cat, OJ, in a special place in her heart as he had come from her dear friend Martha. Her Bernese Mountain Dogs, BJ and Fletch, and her foundling pup, Bit, were also particularly dear to her. Joanne touched many lives and made many friends. All are welcome and invited to pay their respects to her memory. Visiting hours will be held on Friday January 4, 2013 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at A.W. Rich Funeral Home – Essex Chapel, 57 Main Street, Essex Jct., VT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on January 5, 2013 at 11:00 am at St Pius X Church, Essex with Reverend Richard Tinney officiating. Donations may be made in her memory to Take the Lead, PO Box 6353, Watertown, NY 13601 (www.takethelead.org) an organization that provides direct services, support, and care for people in the sport of purebred dogs who suffer the devastation of life-threatening or terminal illness.
November 6, 1938 - December 18, 201211/06/193812/18/2012
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Joanne K. Martin, 74, of Essex, Vermont, died at home on Tuesday, December 18th, 2012. A resident of Essex since 1970, Joanne was born in Proctor, Vermont on November 6, 1938. The daughter of Joseph and Leston (Somers) Kearney, she grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. In the summer of 1960, while attending the University of Vermont, she and her roommate, Sheila, worked at the Shelburne Inn. Sheila was dating Bruce, an “Owl” or brother of the Lambda Iota fraternity at UVM. She suggested a blind date with Bruce’s roommate Paul. While not love at first sight, that’s what it turned into, and the two were married on September 1, 1962. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary starting with a pig roast and party at their home, followed by a weeklong family reunion in Southern Vermont. The couple resided in Burlington, where Joanne worked for the phone company. After the birth of the second of their four children, they decided to move to the country. There, they bought an old farmhouse which they set about renovating. Once the kids were in school, Joanne re-entered the work force by working at, and then owning and operating, Brettson’s in the Champlain Mill in Winooski along with an eventual second location in Essex Center. Joanne loved family reunions, impromptu road trips with friends, and dog shows. Her first dog, a black Labrador named Green Mountain Jewel, or Julie, led her into the world of dogs which would become a lifelong passion filled with travel, shows, and friends all across the world. She was a member of many local and national dog clubs, including the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Nashoba Valley, the Green Mountain Dog Club, and the club which owned a large piece of her heart, the Champlain Valley Kennel Club. Joining in the late sixties, she served CVKC in many capacities, including: show chair, treasurer, hospitality, secretary, and as its alternate delegate to the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs, where she worked tirelessly on animal humane issues. The club held summer handling classes on the tennis court out back, leading to one of her favorite stories of how the “The Friendly French Farmer” next door showed up one evening with a completely leash broken Holstein calf to proudly parade about the ring. That same gentleman, along with Rocky “the Brown Hornet” Brown, a former professional wrestler from Montreal, was responsible for naming one of her signature desserts—the “Sit-a-minute” ice cream pie, so named for the amount of time it needed to thaw before being sliced. Early on, she traveled with her dear friend professional handler Martha Covington Thorne. The adventures that they had were the stuff of legend. She was justifiably proud of the many dogs that she showed, both her own and those of friends, to wins and championships. Her first German Wirehaired Pointer, Laurwyn’s Aspen of Titushill, was particularly successful, becoming a top winner in her breed, followed by Aspen’s son, Walker, who was Winners Dog from the “Bred-by Class” (a major win) at the breed’s National Show. In later years, after the Wirehairs, she had Bernese Mountain Dogs before returning to her first love, the Labrador Retriever (black, of course!) Over the years of dog showing, Joanne made many memorable trips, including the trip she organized to Philadelphia for the AKC’s Centennial show in a fleet of Rent-a-Wrecks (complete with leash operated windshield wipers). Joanne met and befriended a wide range of people through dogs, and garnered a depth of wisdom about all things dogs which she shared generously and without question. She was the “go-to person,” no matter the question. And if she didn’t know the answer, you knew that she’d find it out. She was always there for anyone in need or in a crisis. She would, and did, drop everything to help out a friend in need. She brought breakfast to families when they lost a loved one, bought plane tickets to get grandkids home to funerals, it didn’t matter if you were a friend or a stranger, she was there. And if you were a friend, you were a friend for life. No matter what. Upon retiring, Paul and Joanne designed and built their “brand new old house” and began to travel. They took numerous road trips across the country, sometimes with Paul’s late sister Janet and her husband Harvey, or Paul’s brother Jim and his wife Pearl. Sometimes they took trips on their own, stopping by the historic Route 66 with Paul’s brother Pep and his wife Tonda, visiting Lambda brothers and stopping at points of interest. Their travels took them across the United States several times, crossing a different way each time. They visited the Maritimes of Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and cruised to Alaska. They stayed part of the winter of 2007 (missing the Valentine’s Day Blizzard) in Yuma, Arizona, and traveled to Mexico with Jim and Pearl, and Harvey and his wife, Mary Jane. Always the point of the travel was to do more than just see the country. It was to see the friends and family scattered about the country, as well. It would be impossible to count the number of weddings and family gatherings that they attended in Oregon or Wisconsin. Having come from a very small family herself, Joanne enjoyed spending time and keeping in touch with her new extended family of Paul’s siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as their children and grandchildren. She was not above the occasional well thought out prank, as evidenced by the “Great Ice Cream Gift Certificate Caper” that she hatched with Uncle Pepper at the Arlington Fire Department Fundraising Auction. She was also a great believer in greeting cards and sent them for each birthday and other special events. Joanne was, first and foremost, ferociously loyal to her friends and family. She stayed in touch and was there for them at the first sign of need. Joanne is survived by her husband of 50 years, Paul and their children, Terri, Rick and his wife, Claudine, Jim, and Patrick, all of Essex. Also surviving her are Rick and Claudine’s daughters, Sydney and Abigail. She is survived by Paul’s brothers Jim and his wife, Pearl, of Oregon, Pepper and his wife, Tonda, of Indiana, Paul’s brother-in-law Harvey and his wife, Mary Jane, of Wisconsin. She is also survived by brother Dan, and his wife Paula of Proctor. Joanne had many, many long time close friends, but amongst them, was particularly close to Ruth Woodard, Debbie Mulvey, and John Cornell. She loved all of her dogs and cats, but had always held her orange tabby cat, OJ, in a special place in her heart as he had come from her dear friend Martha. Her Bernese Mountain Dogs, BJ and Fletch, and her foundling pup, Bit, were also particularly dear to her. Joanne touched many lives and made many friends. All are welcome and invited to pay their respects to her memory. Visiting hours will be held on Friday January 4, 2013 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at A.W. Rich Funeral Home – Essex Chapel, 57 Main Street, Essex Jct., VT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on January 5, 2013 at 11:00 am at St Pius X Church, Essex with Reverend Richard Tinney officiating. Donations may be made in her memory to Take the Lead, PO Box 6353, Watertown, NY 13601 (www.takethelead.org) an organization that provides direct services, support, and care for people in the sport of purebred dogs who suffer the devastation of life-threatening or terminal illness.

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Events

Jan
04
Visitation
Friday, January 04 2013
05:00 PM - 08:00 PM
A. W. Rich Funeral Home - Essex Chapel
57 Main St.
ESSEX JUNCTION, VT 05452
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Jan
05
Service
Saturday, January 05 2013
11:00 AM
St. Pius X
20 Jericho Road
ESSEX JUNCTION, VT 05452
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