Irwin Edward Martin

It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Irwin Edward Martin of Spencer on January 22, 2026, at the age of 84 years + 1 day. Irwin was born on January 21, 1942, in Wesley, Iowa, and was a devoted husband, father and friend to all who knew him.

Irwin dedicated thirty years of service to the City of Spencer primarily as a Superintendent at Riverside and North Lawn Cemeteries. Retirement didn't suit him well and being idle was a difficult task for him. Irwin always wanted to busy himself and being a jack of all trades brought him great joy as it allowed him to be in service to others often.

A proud veteran of the United States Navy, Irwin exemplified the values of duty and service. He served as a radioman and with pride, loved to tell stories of his time repairing teletype machines and communicating in morse code on the USS Kearsarge CV-33.

In his leisure, Irwin found joy in conversation with friends and was an avid card player. He cherished the camaraderie of gathering together and enjoyed the laughter over a good joke, coffee and breakfast at the diner, and board games with a little competition.

Irwin is survived by his wife, Judy (Rose) Martin, and their children, Jimmy (Jill) Martin and Lisa Longstaff, both of Wichita, KS, Julie (Van) Harne of West Des Moines, and Jeff (Mary) Martin of Sibley, his grandchildren, Holly, Heather, Adam, Krista, Mary, Sara, Paul, Alex, Randell, Atalie and Conley, his siblings, Sharlene Jaspersen of Garner, Carol Bleich of Spencer, Louis (Trudy) Martin of Carroll, and Frank (Lora) Martin of Carroll, and many nieces, nephews and a vast number of adored friends.

Irwin was preceded in death by his parents, Reese and Mildred (Hildman) Martin, grandson, Tyler Davids, granddaughter, Kharma Brown, and brothers-in-law, Earl Jaspersen and James Bleich.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to First English Lutheran Church.

Service will be livestreamed. To view the service please click the link below:

https://player.memoryshare.com/video/irwin-martin-spencer-ia