James Martinson

James "Joe" Arthur Martinson, age 83, of Willmar, died Thursday afternoon, August 30, at Rice Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Tuesday, September 4, at the Church of St. Mary. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the Willmar American Legion Post and the V.F.W. Visitation will be from 4:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. with Parish Prayers at 4:30 P.M. on Monday, September 3, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.
Joe was born on September 25, 1923, in Canby, Minnesota, the son of Fred and Marian (Campbell) Martinson. At the age of three, the Martinson family moved to Mason City, Iowa. Following his fathers death in 1939, the family moved to Mankato and later Winthrop. On February 12, 1943, Joe entered the service and became a Military Policeman attached to the U.S. Air Corps. Following his discharge in 1946, Joe returned to Minnesota and attended Beck School for radio. He decided to become a radio announcer after a brief "stint" with the Armed Forces Radio in Natal, Brazil. Joe joined the KWLM Radio Network in 1947 as a radio announcer. On September 3, 1949, he was united in marriage to Dolores W. Boutin and they made their home in Willmar. For many years Joe was the voice of various Willmar Cardinal athletic events and area town team baseball. Last year Joe was inducted into the Willmar High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Joe was a past assistant coach and manager of the Willmar American Legion baseball team. He was a member of the Church of St. Mary, American Legion Post #167, V.F.W. Post #1639 and several model train clubs.
Joe enjoyed model training, fishing and all sports. He was an avid baseball fan of the Chicago Cubs and the Minnesota Twins and avid football fan of the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, (depending upon which team was winning).
He is survived by his wife, Dolores of Willmar; two sons, Jim (and Ann) Martinson of Hutchinson and John (and Joni) Martinson of Burnsville; three grandchildren, James, Alexis and Jason and one sister, Miriam Neibuhr of St. Cloud, besides other relatives and friends.