Olive Louise Martin's Obituary
Olive Louise Martin was born March 17, 1927 in Cleveland, Ohio. She passed away on May 11, 2016 in Highland Village, Texas at the age of 89. She is preceded in death by her husband, Harry Jules Martin, her brother Clifford Coleman, her mother Lavernia Coleman and her father, Clifford John Coleman. She is survived by her sister, Mary Frances Gemming, her daughter, Sandy Roberts and her husband, Leif Roberts, her son, Harry J. Martin, Jr., her grandson Allen Roberts and his wife Jenn Roberts, her great-granddaughter, Betty Roberts, her granddaughter, Jenny Harry and her husband Sam Harry, and great-grandchildren, Brenham, Mason and Allie Harry. Olive grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and went to Chesterfield elementary school until the fifth grade when her family moved to Willowick, Ohio. She then attended Willoughby High School until she and her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri in December, 1941. There she went to Maplewood High School where she played xylophone and bells for the high school band and was a drum majorette. She also played field hockey, basketball, volleyball and softball. During World War II, she worked as a nurse’s aide at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, then as a nurse’s aide at St. Luke Hospital before enrolling in nurse’s training at St. Luke’s hospital in 1945. She graduated as a registered nurse in 1948 and became the O.B. night charge nurse at the hospital. In 1949, she worked with plastic surgeons, Drs. Brown, Byars and McDowell until the fall of 1950. Olive met her husband, Harry, on a “blind date” set up by her sister and her sister’s soon-to-be-husband, Don Gemming, who was Harry’s best friend. Olive and Harry were married April 15, 1950. They later moved to Dallas, Texas in 1959. While taking care of the family and raising her children, Sandy and Harry Jr., Olive continued her interest in sports and competition by bowling and playing bridge. She and her husband were avid square dancers and Cowboy fans, participating in weekly “Cowboys Brunches” with their friends. She also loved music, and was often caught singing Judy Garland songs while cleaning the house and doing laundry for the family. She also became the “neighborhood nurse” providing first-aid care and shots to friends and friend’s children. She and her husband developed strong friendship relationships, including their neighbors across the street, Allen and Sarah Eubanks. The Eubanks and the Martins often got together Friday afternoons for cocktail hour before heading late to the then “dollar steak house”. As her children grew, she was involved with Girls Scouts of America, becoming a troop leader for her daughter’s troop and supported her son in his attempts to play baseball and his piano practices. She also volunteered as an aide at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Her love of sports and family continued as she and her husband attended the numerous baseball, soccer and volleyball games of her grandson, Allen, and granddaughter, Jenny. When her mother had stroke and became partially paralyzed, Olive regularly cared for all her Mom’s needs at the nursing home arranging all of her activities around the needs of her Mom. After he Mom’s passing, Olive and Harry moved to a senior active golfing community in Leesburg, Florida in 2001. While Harry was playing golf, Olive provided private bridge lessons to her friends and formed the first duplicate bridge club there at Pembrook. She and her sister often became “secret bridge partners” on bridge websites, typically winning against other partners who didn’t know they had played bridge together for over fifty years. Olive and Harry returned to Dallas and eventually moved to Rambling Oaks Assisted Living facility in Highland Village, continuing to make friends among the other residents and the staff. They were often seen enjoying their daily cocktail ritual before dinner. She was honored as the Resident of the Month at Rambling Oaks in December, 2015. She cared for her husband’s needs until his passing in January, 2015, after 64 years of marriage. Olive lost her battle with pneumonia and is now together again with her loving husband. The family will have a private service at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery where Olive will be buried with her husband. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243. I lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, 22 Welborn Street, Dallas, Texas 75219, Attention: Development Department.
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