William John "Bill" Martens Jr.

L'ANSE, Mich. - William John "Bill" Martens Jr., 87, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in L'Anse after a long battle with cancer. Bill was, until recently, a resident of Mercer, Wis., since 1993. Recently his illness required him to move to L'Anse with his daughter, Wendy Collins.

Bill was born in Chicago in 1931 and resided on the North Side in the same house his family built in the 1860s. After graduating from Lane Tech High School, Bill served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Allied-occupied Germany.

Married in 1956 to future Mercer resident Marlowe (Schiska) Linden until 1972, Bill worked as a photoengraver, eventually moving to Battle Creek for a few years before retiring in 1993. Over the years Bill spent summer vacations in the Northwoods, particularly Mercer, enjoying many summers with his family, staying at Rudy & Bob's Resort on Trude Lake.

After retirement, Bill moved to Mercer to enjoy the Northwoods life where he enjoyed his shooting, hunting and gunsmithing hobbies, as well as spending time with friends in town.

Bill is survived by his son, Greg Martens, and his wife, Polly; daughter, Wendy Collins, and her husband, Terry; grandchildren, Leanne Baldauf-Garner, Genie Baldauf, Andrea Martens-DeWitt and Kathryn Martens; and great-grandchildren, Alexandra, Tyler and Devyn Garner, Kasen Hampton and Alea DeWitt. Bill is also survived by his feline companion, Rudy.

Bill was a member of Faith Lutheran Church and attended Hurley Masonic Lodge 237, both in Mercer, and he frequently visited with friends at the Mercer Senior Center. A memorial service and celebration of Bill's life is being planned for the late spring or early summer in Mercer.

Bill had many friends in Mercer and will surely be missed by all.