Danell A Martin

Danell was born in Salem, Oregon the only child of Helen (Lutz) and Dan Hamilton. She attended Englewood, Parrish, and graduated from North Salem High in 1955. On December 30, 1955, she married Larry C. Martin, her high school sweetheart, and they were happily together for 65 years.

Her husband’s military career took them to South Carolina, Alaska, Colorado, and Virginia before returning to Oregon to retire in Lincoln City in 1996, where she and Larry lived until they moved to Salem in 2018. She worked as a secretary, starting at Sears in Salem and Eugene and ending at Northern Virginia Community College where she also earned her Associate in Arts degree. Due to early encouragement in the Salem schools, she loved to read and practice her creative composition skills.

Danell loved reading and enjoyed sharing her favorites with others. She recorded family visits and activities in a variety of creatively written diaries and albums, and was exceptionally creative in designing her many works of embroidery. She volunteered regularly in community activities and devoted more than twenty years to the North Lincoln County Historical Museum, where she greeted visitors, catalogued artifacts, and served on the Board of Directors as Vice President, President, and Treasurer. Important in her life, were her family members and her friends.

She is survived by her daughter, Anne Colon; sons, Dan and Jack, their spouses; nine grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Larry; and eldest son Tom.

Those who wish may make a contribution in Danell’s memory to the North Lincoln County Historical Museum at 4907 SW Highway 101, Lincoln City, Oregon 97367.