Edward Donald Martin Sr., 81, Passed away Feb. 27, 2013.

Ed was born September 9, 1931 to Frederick and Amelia (Mildred) Martin of Brooklyn, New York. He passed away in Soldotna after having a heart attack following surgery. Ed served in the Korean War as a Navy submarine 3rd class petty officer enginemen, honorably discharged. He was proud of his service and gladly shared how it taught him critical thinking, and responsibility. Ed was a pioneer Alaskan homesteader north of Willow near the Kashwitna River and enjoyed sharing stories of his perilous adventures. Ed was a 50 year member of IUOE Local 302 and worked on numerous construction projects throughout Alaska beginning with the original construction of the Parks Highway, and upgrades to the Dalton, Glenn, Richardson, Seward, and Sterling Highways. He also helped build the Alaska pipeline working from Prudhoe Bay south. Ed had his own construction company in the late 70’s and early 80’s called Kasu Construction which built numerous subdivision roads around the Mat-Su Valley.

He served as a Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman and on the Mat-Su’s original Planning and Zoning Board. He campaigned to be a State Senator and lost to Jay Kertulla by a handful of votes. Ed’s political activism included the Move the Capital Initiative (from Juneau to Willow). He later became the city of Wasilla Public Works director during the 1980s boom. Ed was instrumental in his retirement years for establishing, with others, the Save the Permanent Fund Petition Drive, then went on to testify in front of the legislature with petitions in hand which resulted in an advisory election vote. That election resulted in an overwhelming vote of the people for the protection of the permanent dividend program we enjoy today. Ed liked to watch the news on TV and routinely voiced a concern for the less fortunate among us in issues around the State & Nation.

In his later years he devoted countless hours to his passion of collecting four-leaf clovers and became the Guinness World Record holder for collecting the most four-leaf clovers by any person on the planet. He once collected over 1,000 in a single day and had to enlist the help of his great-grandson, Wesley Smith, to help preserve them. He enjoyed giving them away to everyone he met hoping for a smile and that he might somehow make their life a bit better.

Ed believed that “Alaska was the luckiest place on earth,” particularly the Kenai Peninsula. Although Ed was an avid hunter and fisherman in his younger years, he enjoyed the company of his pets, Pumpkin and Quits prior to moving into the Sterling Senior Center. Ed’s family and all Alaskans will miss him.

Services at Sterling Senior center on the 27th of April at Noon. For info please email akgoldnuggets@gmail.com.