Constance Martin

Constance (Ambrose) Martin, age 89, died on October 18, 2017, in the house where she was born in Westville, Illinois. True to her long time wish, she died in her favorite season. Connie was a proud, stubborn, first generation Lithuanian-American and she expected the seasons to cooperate in her plans. She was born the youngest surviving child to Jurgis and Magdalena Ambrose on February 2, 1928. Her siblings, John Ambrose of Dayton, Ohio, and Julia Bednar, also of Westville, preceded her in death. She said that living in Westville was the best childhood and loved to tell stories of her life and the changes she saw. Her family's little yard of chickens, a cow, and a garden fed the family, their boarders, and many train hobos during hard times. She remembered helping her grandmother ring the bells at Sts. Peter and Paul's Church (where she was baptized and married), getting nickel buckets of beer uptown, and her first job at CandyLand. She met her husband while working at the shoe factory, and later retired from Illinois Fireworks. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Westville. She graduated from Westville High School in 1945. Robert "Bob" Martin became her husband in 1947 and they raised four children. Later came eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a great-great-granddaughter-to-be. Her husband, her son Robert "Sloan" Martin, son-in-law Richard "Jody" Kruger, and grandson Christopher Potter were waiting to greet her in Heaven. Connie loved sitting on her back porch and watching her birds. She was an avid gardener, seamstress, bookkeeper, and a composter/recycler/repurposer. She was a self-appointed deer-ologist as she loved visiting Forest Glen and claimed to have walked every inch mushroom hunting. For many years, Connie was a volunteer tax preparer for the community through AARP. Her family relied on her sewing skills and she made everything from formals for her children to costumes for her great-granddaughter's plays. Every week she visited her friend Bernetta's to get her hair done. She recently took an RV "trip of a lifetime" to Yellowstone and the Northwest. Connie loved crosswords and reading, and she was a lifetime member of the Westville Public Library. Even though they computerized their system, she still wrote her patron number "76" in each book. If you see it, think of her. She is missed beyond anything we can express. Among those she leaves behind are her daughter Linda (Jody) Kruger of Danville, daughter Margie (Mark) Potter of Neenah, Wisconsin, another daughter, Lorelei (Kenneth) Moremon of Danville, her nephew David (Renee) Bednar of North Carolina, and her sister-in-laws Mary Martin and Betty Hinton. Her dear friend Bill (Sharon) Musson is deeply appreciated by her family. Jolly Joe, her friendly squirrel, will sorely miss the peanuts she tossed out. A Celebration of Connie's life will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at Sunset-Urbas Chapel, 414 S. State St, Westville with Father Loftus officiating the service. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Friday, October 20, 2017 at the funeral home with rosary prior to the visitation at 5:30pm. Burial will be in St. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Westville. Memorial donations may be made to the Westville Public Library. Please join Connie's family in sharing memories, photos and videos on her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com

Visitation Oct 20, 2017 Friday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Sunset-Urbas Funeral Chapel 414 S. State Street Westville, IL 61883 Celebration of Life Oct 21, 2017 Saturday, 11:00 AM Sunset-Urbas Funeral Chapel 414 S. State Street Westville, IL 61883 Final Resting Place Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery Westville Westville, IL 61883