Obituary of Barb Martin

MARTIN - Barbara “Barb” Geraldine (Wigington), 95, of Ebensburg.  Born December 21, 1928, in Morristown, Tennessee; died of congestive heart failure on March 15, 2024, at Moorehead Place, Indiana, PA.  Beloved wife of Guy Martin, with whom she was married for 50 years prior to his death on March 24, 2004.  Preceded in death by parents, Kenneth and Ethel Wigington; siblings, Eugene Wigington, Ralph Wigington and Diana (Wigington) Cook; and son, Jesse Ray Smith.  Survived by children, Renée Martin-Nagle (Ebensburg), Dan Martin (San Diego, CA), and Janice DeMartino (Austin, TX); grandchildren, Tanya (Nagle) Carlson (Ellicott City, MD) and William Ferguson (San Antonio, TX); great-grandsons, Nate and Ben Carlson; son-in-law, Lee Crawford; and grandson-in-law, Justin Carlson.  From the time she was small child, Barb wanted to be a nurse, and she started on the path to fulfilling her dream by graduating as a diploma nurse from St. Luke’s Hospital in Bluefield WV in 1949 at the age of 20.  She went on to serve thousands of patients in hospitals around the country, working in New Orleans, Tucson and Baltimore, before relocating to Ebensburg with Guy in 1961. She worked with Dr.A.D Martin at the Colver Hospital before moving to the Nicktown area and joining Miners' Hospital in Spangler PA as a pediatric nurse in 1963. While at Miner's she was instrumental in convincing hospital workers to vote 186-15 for a union in 1974, which has provided retiree benefits for decades. While working full-time, she established Nicktown's first Junior and Cadet Girl Scout troops, serving as the leader of both troops and introducing hundreds of girls to camping, hiking, cooking and woodworking. Always known for her boundless energy and positive attitude, Barb celebrated her retirement from Miners' in 1987 by founding Meadow View Personal Care Home near Nicktown and Martin Visiting Nurses in Colver and Ebensburg, owning and managing both businesses for nearly ten years.  Barb loved to travel, and she and Guy fed that passion by visiting Hawaii, cruising to Alaska, and driving across the country in a motor home.  She also cruised the Baltic Sea and around New Zealand and Australia and visited Canada, Europe, and Russia.   Never content to be idle, Barb taught herself to crochet later in life, gifting more than 100 hand-crafted afghans to friends, family and charities.  From her kitchen she produced countless meals, loaves of homemade bread, and desserts for friends and charities, including her signature salmon mousse and chocolate sauerkraut cake.  Years of being the sole nurse on ambulance runs carved a special place in her heart for first responders, so she hosted annual dinners for the Ebensburg Dauntless Volunteer Fire Company and the Cambria Township Volunteer Fire Company in Colver and frequently delivered trays of homemade lasagna and stuffed shells to the Ebensburg Area Ambulance Association.  While living in assisted care at Moorehead, she ran the weekly poker and bingo games until shortly before her death. She was a member of the Grace Church in Ebensburg and Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Colver.  The family would like to extend special thanks to her friends Jerry and Rhonda Sickles, whose weekly visits to Moorehead brightened her life, and to the caring staff at Moorehead Place and the hospice staff of AseraCare, who made her final months warm, secure, and dignified.  Friends will be received beginning at 4:30 p.m. followed by memorial service at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23rd, at the Askew-Houser Funeral Homes, Inc., 300 N. Julian Street, Ebensburg, Pastor Thom Broderick, officiating.  In lieu of flowers, Barb asked that loved ones make a donation to Dauntless Volunteer Fire Company Dauntless Volunteer Fire Company (https://www.dauntlessfire.org); the Cambria Township Volunteer Fire Company (https://www.facebook.com/p/Cambria-Township-Volunteer-Fire-Company-100064290895893)and /or the Ebensburg Area Ambulance Association (https://www.ebensburgems.org).

Condolences may be left for the family at: www.askew-houser.com