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Rob, Tom, Lynne and Gary Martell
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Robert Edward "Bobby" Martell
I was born August 10, 1937 in Waltham, Massachusetts and grew up in Newton, MA. I attended St Jean L'Evangeliste school in Newton for 9 years. This was a bi-lingual (French-English) school taught by Soeurs de St. Anne (Sisters of St. Anne) which went to grade 8. I caused a furor when I decided to continue my education at public school (Newton High School). The Pastor had designs for me to enter the seminary and become a priest. He changed his mind when I informed him, in a private meeting, about my extreme interest in members of the opposite sex!
It was the end of the Korean War and the United States Air Force offered students who maintained an A average, the opportunity to join the USAF in January of 1955, and receive GI Bill help with College. The High School agreed to give early diplomas and I joined the Air Force. After completing Cadet training, I was sent to RIO Airborne Radar School for the next 18 months and completed my active tour of duty with the 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron ("Satan's Angels") in Alaska, Illinois and Mississippi, receiving an honorable discharge in 1963.
I married Jane Marie DeWolfe, daughter of Wallace "Blackie" DeWolfe (Pondville, Nova Scotia) and Catherine Considine on January 27, 1962. We had 4 children, all of whom are happily married with children of their own.
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Rob, Tom, Lynne and Gary Martell
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I completed my college degree (days and nights) at Northeastern University in Boston, MA and became an Electronics Engineer with Northrop Corporation. As I was not a very good Engineer, a friend suggested that I look into Sales and Marketing -- a decision I have never regretted. I have lived and traveled all over the world as Regional Sales Manager and President of a US Company's Europe-Middle-East-and Africa Operation (later of all International Operations), retiring from this Company as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing Operations.
In 1991, my wife Jane DeWolfe Martell was diagnosed with cancer, so I retired and took care of her until she died in 1993. About a year after Jane's death, a friend and I went sailing on his schooner "Principles" in the Caribbean for four months from Fort Lauderdale to Venezuela and back in an attempt to sort out the rest of my life. After returning to California, I became a "Rent-a-President" for several companies and met my present wife, Barbara Grooms Martell. We have been happily married since 1995.
After completing 18 months in an RV (Monaco Windsor Diesel Pusher) traveling around the United States and Canada. We fell in love with Naples Florida and so we sold the RV and came to Naples to settle. We bought a condo in a golf community and Barbara went back to work as Membership Director for a local Tennis, Fitness and Pool Club called the Players Club until her retirement in May 2010 . Most of my free time is spent exercising, working on Genealogy, traveling and playing golf with Barbara.
Our biggest goal (besides enjoying our retirement) is to complete my book detailing My Family History. It will be a limited distribution to our family and friends and is meant as a chronicle or record of this hardy stock of Martells. We have been accumulating pictures and records to include in the book as well as the family trees that now are pretty long.
Watching our grandkids grow up and visiting them on both coasts is another goal. Hopefully we will be able to talk some of our kids to let them travel with us for short periods of time.
Barbara's parents, who were full time RVers, were excited about us joining them "On the Road" which we did for a while. They moved to Florida to be near us and we enjoyed having Barbara's Mom and Dad so close to us. Her Mom Lucille died April 8, 2009 and we all miss her, her Dad Floyd lived at our community after Mom's Death and we enjoyed his company for a few years before he passed on at the age of 90. "Have a good one Floyd"