Joan Charlotte Martin, 83, was called to her heavenly home on May 3rd, 2021 with her loving family by her side in Fargo, North Dakota.

Joan was born in Spiritwood, North Dakota, on November 3rd, 1937 to Gene and Edith (Long) Dresser. She was a creative and scholarly child. She played the violin and piano and graduated as valedictorian from Jamestown High School. Joan married the love of her life, Delton Martin, on June 13th, 1959 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota. They settled in Spiritwood to raise their three sons.

Joan had a lifelong passion for helping others. She completed her BS in Nursing at Jamestown College, including a year-long residency at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago. While employed at Jamestown Hospital, she continued her education and completed a social work degree. Following her employment with Jamestown Hospital, Joan became a child protection investigator for Stutsman County Social Services for the next twenty-seven years, winning several awards for her work. After retirement from SCSS, Joan worked as a nurse in several nursing homes in Jamestown. She finished that phase of her career as head of infection control and as a nurse in the Alzheimer’s unit at Eventide in Jamestown. Her final professional endeavor was co-founding Guardian Angels, a legal guardianship service for vulnerable adults in Jamestown and the surrounding area. Her recent medical challenges resulted in her retirement, nonetheless she found time and energy to volunteer on the surgical floor at Jamestown Hospital.

Her selflessness and unsurpassed energy for life allowed her to be a hardworking professional and a loving mother and grandmother. Throughout her life, she made the time to play cards and take camping trips with Del and their sons. She doted on her granddaughters, spending countless hours inventing new games, producing homemade plays, and organizing special adventures for them.

In addition to her storied career and her devotion to her family, she maintained a wide variety of hobbies, including crotchet, playing the organ, reading crime novels, fishing, and hunting. She was an enthusiastic gambler and an avid pinochle player. She was considered one of the luckiest people in the world as she won (almost) every time she gambled. She competed in several fishing tournaments throughout the state with her husband, and she loved to dance. She had a wonderful sense of humor, always ready with a laugh and a joke.

Joan is survived by her husband Delton Martin of Jamestown, ND; her three sons Robert (Elizabeth) of Minot, ND, Donald (Lori and her sons Marcus and Drew) of Jamestown ND, and Kevin (Andrea) of Bismarck, ND; her sister Jean (George) Thom of Deer River, MN; her four granddaughters: Alyssa (Eric) of Meriden, CT, Kathryn (Tucker) of Bismarck, ND, Cassandra of Minot, ND, and Lily of Minot, ND; many beloved nieces and nephews; and Ronald (Denise) Thom, nephew and Pard, a special member of Joan’s family. Joan was preceded in death by her parents Edith and Gene and her sister Beverly.

A prayer service will be held on May 9th at 7:00 PM at Haut Funeral Home in Jamestown, ND. Her funeral service will be held on May 10th at 11:00 AM at the Haut Funeral Home with a reception and a gathering of her loved ones to follow. Luncheon will be served. The family asks that donations to the American Cancer Society be considered in lieu of flowers.

Joan Martin

November 03, 1937 - May 03, 2021

Share photos of Joan