Obituary of Frederick James Martel

It is with great sadness that we, the family of Frederick James Martel (Age 92) announce his peaceful passing on June 17th, 2021. Born in Rockdale to George and Madge Martel on June 4th, 1929, Freddie lived a very full life with his wife Delta and their children. Freddie joined the military on January 10th, 1951 and served in Germany and Korea as a paratrooper as part of the Royal 22nd Regimen, the Van Doos. He shared many stories of his times overseas and the letters that he shared with the love of his life. Only a few years later on August 20th, 1956 he married his true love Delta (Landry) and they celebrated 61 years of marriage together before her passing in 2017. Together, Freddie and Delta had ten children: Wanda (Courtney), Jimmy (Darlene), Carolyn (James), Donna (Greg), Bonnie (Barry), Lynn (Dwain), Judy (Neil), Tina (Faron), Jamie (Debbie), and Joseph George Alexander (died in infancy). His family grew to include 21 grandchildren : Gina (Garth), Amy, Jennifer, Adam, Katelyn, Dean, Stephanie, Tanya (Dale), Dylan (Kelsey), Josh (Becky), Meaghan (Eric), Mason, Leland, Galen, Noah, Kyle, Kendall, Justin, Conor, Brett, Brayden and 12 great-grandchildren: Chase, Brandon, Seth, Carter, Ava, Tyson, Maeva, Johnelle, Emma, Luca, Precious, and Mary Rachel; sisters, Bertha Orchard, Halifax, Eva Horton, Dartmouth, Anna Doupe, St. Peter's, Beatrice Beaulieu, Rockdale. brother, Clarence, (Helen), Rockdale. Freddie loved his close knit family very much and in his own way. Besides his parents Freddie was predeceased by son in infancy George, grandson Jordan, son-in-law Dean Samson, brother George and sisters Artemis and Bernice as well as many other extended family members. After he was honorably discharged from the military on June 10th, 1965, Freddie went to vocational school to get a trade in Carpentry and then worked at the Heavy Water Plant in Point Tupper. During those days, he traveled with Henry Breau and Harry LeBlanc. Many stories have been shared about his time there, some too crazy to mention! Freddie was a very proud and well decorated veteran and devoted countless hours to the The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 150 in Arichat serving as the president of the association for over 2 decades. He was very proud of his accomplishments at the Legion and worked hand in hand for many years with his sidekick Emily Landry. During his time as President, he was able to travel to many conventions across Canada where he was even able to sit in the speakers’ chair in the House of Commons in Ottawa. He could weasel his way into anything! Over the years, he also shared that pride by attending many Remembrance Day Ceremonies at both the Legion and many local schools with some of his veteran friends including , Ted Martins, Alcide Landry, Benny Mury and the late Ralph Roberts,just to name a few. After retiring from the Heavy Water Plant, Freddie worked for C.H. Boudreau Ambulance Service as an ambulance attendant. Many years later, he maintained his friendship with Norma, and the late Herman Boudreau. Freddie’s community involvement extended further than his work with the Legion. For many years, he served on the Board of Directors of Charles Forest Coop and played an integral part in establishing the veterans wing as a member of the board of St. Anne’s Community Centre. Taking care of veterans was certainly a passion for him. He advocated strongly for veterans and was known to make a few calls to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs where you can rest assured, he was well known. Freddie was well known in Little Anse and all over Isle Madame. To his family, he was a spry, sneaky and silly man that loved Jack Tripper and Mr. Furley, baseball and most of all a good drink of whiskey with ginger ale and a little bit of water. He enjoyed his summer trips to Grand Manan Island to visit family. Freddie loved French bread by the loaf with an endless supply of jam or cheese whiz. He could also be found on a regular basis pulling break open tickets at the Corner Bridge and bugging Beryl and the girls. Freddie was a very active man and an avid gardener. It was nothing for him to cut, load, unload and stack the wood for the winter with Delta when they were in their early 80’s. He was hard working and even managed to make some money from this hobby by selling the best quality vegetables under the business name “Isle Madame Gardens.” Later in life he enjoyed Wednesday night TV Bingo, drives out with Ma and sharing his baby picture! Freddie loved his Ford Trucks! So much so that a trip to Port Hawkesbury for toilet paper and Kleenex could result in coming home with a brand new truck on any given day. You can be sure that his negotiation with Steve Sampson was quite the show. After a heart attack in 2013, Freddie began to lose his independence. In addition, dementia stole his memory and his ability to live as he once did. When extra care became an absolute necessity, Debbie, Jamie and Donna stepped up to the plate spending countless hours supporting Freddie and honoring his wishes to remain in his home. They became his advocates and were his voice to get all the care he needed through DVA. A special thank you to all those who lent a hand in any way to give his caregivers a break when needed. The family wishes to thank Dr. MacNeil, the VON, paramedics, and the palliative care team (Dr. Cooper, Adelle Shea, Kyla MacKeigan, Leah Burns, Sarah Touesnard and Courtney MacKinnon) for their care, attention to detail and support over the years but especially most recently. Funeral Mass and Legion Tribute to celebrate the life of Freddie, will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021 in St. Joseph's Church, Petit de Grat at 2 pm, with Rev. John Baptiste DeCoste preceding. Burial to take place in the Star of the Sea Cemetery, Petit de Grat. Social distancing, sanitizing, and the wearing of masks will be enforced due to Covid-19. Funeral Arrangements have been entrusted in long time family friends at C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home in Arichat. Memorial donations can be made to the Strait Richmond Palliative Care, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 150 or St. Anne’s Centre Veteran’s Wing. “Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure!”