Ralph G Martineau

He was born in Keene on January 1, 1935 the son of Edward and Christine (Blood) Martineau, grew up in Keene, attended Keene Schools and was a parishioner at St. Bernard’s Church. Ralph was employed in various capacities by the Markem Corporation in Keene for 32 years, before retiring due to health issues in 1991. He got his first job at the tender age of nine transferring furnace ashes for Mrs. Charlotte Colony and later was a caretaker for her property.

Ralph loved spending time in the wilderness, hunting and fishing. Later in life he took up golf and beekeeping. He was an animal lover, an avid New York Yankees fan and a devoted friend. When not outdoors he could often be found in the basement of his home “tinkering” and repairing broken items, or shooting his bow and arrow.

Ralph cherished the time with his family and many friends, and most especially enjoyed the time with his grandchildren. He taught all four of them to drive, to fish, and to play cards. He also recruited two of his grandsons to learn how to cook the annual family Thanksgiving turkey on the grill. One of his favorite past times was playing games with his family at the kitchen table, which he did often.

Ralph is survived by his beloved wife Pauline (Beaudry) Martineau of Keene, whom he married at St. Catherine’s Church in Charlestown, NH on March 30, 1957, two daughters Sonja Martineau of Keene, Theresa Sykes and her husband Donald also of Keene, three brothers Arnold Martineau and his wife Millicent, Robert Martineau and his wife Joanne, and Richard Martineau and his wife Roberta, all of Keene, NH, a brother in law Normand Beaudry and his wife Toni, and sister in law Veronique Nadeau all of Charlestown, NH and Georgette Theroux of Claremont, NH, four grandchildren, Aaron Potter, Joshua Green, Christopher Sykes and Heather Ann-Marie Sykes all of Keene, NH, as well as many nephews, nieces and cousins.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated in St. Bernard’s Church, 185 Main Street, Keene, NH on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Main Street, Keene. Family and friends are invited to call at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene on Friday, September 14, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Tri State Long Spurs Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, 180 Fish Hatchery Road, Richmond, NH 03470, make checks payable to NWTF, or to the American Heart Association, Northeast Affiliate, Two Wall Street, Manchester, NH 03101.