Gladys Mae Martin's Obituary
In Loving Memory of Gladys Mae Martin
December 18, 1932 - January 21, 2025
Gladys Mae (Hanthorne) Martin of Honolulu, beloved mother, sister, aunty, neighbor, friend, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed peacefully January 21, 2025, surrounded by family. She was 92.
Gladys was born on December 18, 1932 in Kennard, Nebraska, the youngest of five daughters, to Verne Alvin and Anna Christine (Kronberg) Hanthorne. She was a graduate of North High School and subsequently worked as a library clerk for the school, then as a PBX operator and file clerk for Fairbanks, Morse & Co.
Gladys met and married Valeriano Martin, Jr., who was then an airman stationed in Nebraska, in 1954. She relocated with him that year to live with his family on Oahu, and raised their six children in Kalihi Valley. More recently, she lived in the Salt Lake area.
She returned to the workforce in 1967, and worked briefly as a seamstress before beginning a 27-year career with Hawaiian Life Insurance Co. She was hired as a clerk-typist and was later promoted to manager of the Policy Owners Service Department. While with Hawaiian Life, Gladys earned the designations of Competent Toastmaster as well as Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), a professional development program for the insurance and financial services industry. She was a member of the Honolulu chapter of the National Association of Insurance Women, and served as president of the FLMI Society of Hawaii. She was also a graduate of Model-Netics, a management training and development program.
Following her retirement in 1994, she began indulging her passion for many hobbies and pastimes. She enjoyed drawing and watercolor painting, amassing an impressive portfolio of scenic, floral and landscape paintings. She loved singing, playing the ukulele and dancing. She was a talented crafter, whether sewing, crocheting, or designing beaded rings, bracelets and necklaces. She also found more time to spend gardening and cooking, and looked forward to traveling to the mainland to see her sisters and their families each year.
Gladys was a member of the Pauahi Community Center and the Paniolo Dancing Queens, who performed monthly line dance programs at the Aloha Tower for several years, and also entertained at nursing homes, hospitals, and other venues. She took part in painting and other activities at the Waikiki Community Center as well.
In her later years, she participated as both tap student and instructor at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, attending classes and tapping with her classmates at special events, until past her 90th birthday.
Although she was unassuming and modest, Gladys was also enthusiastic and energetic. She was honest, reliable, and generous with her time and talents. She unfailingly looked for the good in everyone she met, the bright side of every situation, and ways she could help and contribute. She was a positive thinker, trusted instinctively, and loved without judgment. She rarely had unkind words for anyone. She was a great listener, a natural nurturer, and her family’s foremost cheerleader. She was stronger than she knew, smarter than she let on, and staunchly loyal to her family and friends.
Gladys passed away in Waipahu after several months of assisted living in a foster care home.
Gladys was preceded in death by her sisters, Helen Carlson, Hazel Poirrier and Maxine Camden. She is survived by her sister Barbara Voss of Washington, Missouri; her children Rock (Diane) Martin, Steven (Teri) Martin, and Rick (Joanne) Martin of Honolulu, Hawaii; Ingrid (Mike) Cogdill of Eagle River, Alaska; Cynthia (Tom) Cockroft of Albion, Michigan; Mario (Tom King) Martin of Vancouver, Washington; and seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Her family will host a celebration of life on March 31, 2025 at the Valley of the Temples Trousdale Chapel in Kaneohe. Visitation will begin at 10 AM, followed by a service at 11 AM and reception at noon. Family and friends are asked to wear aloha attire.
Flowers are appreciated and welcome but, in Gladys’s memory, please consider donations to Catholic Charities Hawaii to benefit the Lanakila Center. Contributions can be mailed to LMPSC at 1640 Lanakila Avenue, Honolulu, 96817.
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