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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Gerald Martin, 85, of Snohomish, died March 5. (click to enlarge) Gerald Martin, at age 20, during his World War II service in Britain's Royal Air Force.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008 Snohomish man lived creative, adventurous life By Julie Muhlstein Herald Writer One of Gerald Martin's daughters has a contraption that's as unique as the man who made it. "I have one of my dad's creations -- a margarita maker," Caroline Adam said. "It runs on a Weed Eater engine." The hand-tooled, gas-powered cocktail mixer comes in handy for camping, Adam said. It's also a fitting example of how Martin worked hard, but always in his own way. In his 85 years, the British-born Martin experienced war, adventure and many travels. He had lived in South Africa and sailed as a crew member in a yacht race from Cape Town, South Africa, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Late in life, he went back to Europe to meet the German who'd shot down his Royal Air Force plane during World War II. With his wife, Ruth, Martin finally settled down on 10 acres near Snohomish, where he renovated a barn with room for his collection of tractors and other machinery. He worked for Sturdy-Weld Equipment, a business in Lynnwood, before starting his own fix-it shop. Friends took to calling him "Metal Man." Gerald Edward Martin died at home March 5. He was born Dec. 2, 1922, in Croyden, England, and grew up in Carshalton, near London. He joined Britain's Royal Air Force in 1942. He was first a mechanic, then volunteered for flight duty. He served with the 514 Squadron as a flight engineer on Lancaster bombers, flying out of Waterbeach in Cambridge, England. On June 12, 1944, he and his crew were shot down over the occupied Netherlands. There were three survivors out of eight aboard. With the help of the Dutch underground, he evaded capture until Allied forces liberated the area. After World War II, he and his first wife, Geraldine, emigrated to Cape Town, South Africa, and had a daughter, Jane, who lives in England. "He was extraordinary," said Ruth Martin, who met her husband through friends while overseas as a student with the American Field Service. They married in 1972, and had four children, all born in Cape Town. There, Martin ran a heavy equipment business. "His father had a garage outside London, and he was always tinkering with motorbikes," said Ruth Martin. She earned a master's degree in South Africa and taught middle school after the couple moved to Edmonds in 1982. While her husband didn't have much formal education, she said he was a voracious reader of nonfiction. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was his hero. "He was very adventuresome. There was never a day he didn't get out of bed with something to do," Ruth Martin said. In addition to his wife, Martin is survived by daughters Caroline Adam and her husband, Peter Adam; Eliza Martin-Mazzeo and her husband, Rocky Mazzeo; Jessica McIvor and her husband Jayson McIvor; by his son, David Martin and his wife, Elizabeth; in England, by daughter Jane Wallis and son-in-law Roland Wallis; and by six grandchildren. A door to the past opened when a man walked into Martin's business and saw a picture of a Lancaster bomber on the wall. That man, Chris Stewart, became friends with Martin and helped search the Internet to find other members of the downed plane's crew. Through research, they also found the German pilot who had shot down Martin's plane in 1944. Several years ago, Martin traveled to Europe where he met the former enemy flier, Dieter Schmidt-Barbo, who has since died. "I didn't get to go on that trip, I was home teaching school," Ruth Martin said. "Dieter spoke English, and we corresponded. I've got pictures of all the crew." In 2006, all three survivors of the 1944 downing of Martin's plane visited the cemetery in the Netherlands where those who were lost are buried. All his life, his wife said, he sent flowers to the people who helped hide him during the war. "He had a tremendous breadth of knowledge," said John Pauls, who became friends with Gerald Martin while teaching at Alderwood Middle School with Ruth Martin. "The other thing that struck me about Gerry, he could reminisce about his experiences during the war, or Africa, but he didn't dwell on any past tragedy," Pauls said. "He was able to live his life fully." "He was absolutely self-made, and probably the smartest person I've ever met," Caroline Adam said. A celebration of Gerald Martin's life will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at his farm, 20320 10th Place SE, Snohomish.

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