George William Martens

George William Martens, son of Marvin George Martens and Yvon Jeanine McFerran, was born on May 15, 1967 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He attended Shelby-Tennant public schools, where he graduated with the class of 1985. During his youth in Shelby, he developed his love and talent for sports. He recalled fond memories of competing alongside (and often getting into trouble with) Jeff, Dean, and Chuck, to name a few.

He met his future wife, Deb, at a party and caught her attention by knowing the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question; a game the family would enjoy together at many Christmas celebrations and gatherings for years to come. He won her over after the party by sending her flowers and writing her love notes, a tradition he participated in frequently through their 34 years of marriage. On May 21, 1988, George and Deb tied the knot in a small ceremony in Portsmouth, Iowa at Deb’s parent’s farm. Together, George and Deb raised four kids in Shelby, IA: Amanda, Geoffrey, Angela, and Brianna. An avid sports fan, George was loyal to the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Royals. George used his love of sports to spend time with and pass on his talent to his kids. You could often find him playing catch with his four kids or taking them down to the Shelby ball field to hit buckets of balls. Each of his kids proudly wore his favorite jersey number 5, after Royals baseball player, George Brett. He also greatly enjoyed slow pitch softball, a game he continued to play until he could play a game with all four of his kids. Through slow pitch and work, George also met many close friends, like Michael and Carolyn Oldham, whom he considered family. After ‘retiring’ from slow pitch, his main love and focus turned to golf. It brought him joy and peace, and you could often find him playing an extra round with his favorite golf buddies after work on his Minnesota Vikings golf cart.

To know George was to be teased by George. Those that knew him best knew that this was just one of the many ways that he expressed his love. George was most proud of his kids and grandkids and loved them fiercely. If you knew him and loved him as we did, please honor his memory by doing any of the following:
• Make the time play catch with your kids, as he did with each of us
• On Saturday mornings, wake your kids up by blasting music (Garth Brooks and/or Hootie and the Blowfish) and dance with them in the living room
• Make sure to eat a bag of peanut M&Ms at sporting events
• Wear purple on Sunday
• Put in that extra round of golf with your friends
• Buy your kids a present just because
• Shower your spouse with surprise gifts and flowers
• Always save the big present for last on Christmas (and make it a surprise)
• Bring home that puppy, even when your wife said no
• Learn how to pull coins out of your kids’ and grandkids’ ear
• Keep treats in the front pocket of your shirt for your grandkids
• Give your family members a hug and love them fiercely as he loved us, and we loved him.

George lost his battle with anxiety and depression on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Richard Brammann. He is survived by his loving wife, Debra Martens of Shelby, IA; children Amanda Martens (Kyle Chamberland) of Des Moines, IA; Geoffrey (Carmen) Martens of Avoca, IA; Angela Martens (Nora Saidy) of Omaha, NE; and Brianna (Sara) Martens of Shelby, IA; four grandchildren: Aubrey Chamberland, Jaxson Martens, Karter Chamberland, and Malek Saidy Martens; siblings: Diana Knuth, David Brammann, Michael Oldham (his brother from another mother), Rodney Brammann, and Garth Brammann, as well as many nieces and nephews (his favorite niece Keely), cousins, his many “adopted” kids, and dear friends.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests you donate to the community of Shelby (City Hall) to go toward improvements of the Shelby Ball Field, local youth sports team, or your favorite mental health service.