Our mom, grandma, and great-grandma Lucille Sophia Stracke Martin passed away on September 21, 2022 at the age of 88. She will be together again with her late husband, Don, with whom she spent 40 wonderful years.
Lucille was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1934 and met Don while he was a student at Indiana Tech in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They married in 1957 and moved first to San Diego, CA, then shortly after to Florida, following the space program. Lucille was active in the Divine Mercy Catholic Church congregation on Merritt Island, as well as den mom to Scouts, Y-Indian Maidens, 4-H, and countless school field trips and functions. She loved crafting and worked on everything from plaster crafts, Artex, and resin, to her beloved wooden planters, attending art shows from Cocoa Village to Miami malls. Her famous birthday cards she made for family were always a hit, and who knew we had so many ‘Party Animals’ in our crew?!
She made an impression wherever she went, and friends and family often describe her as ‘One of a Kind’. Outgoing and bubbly, she had a knack for keeping it real and speaking her mind. She loved Merritt Island but hated the heat; the family travelled often to visit friends and relatives up north in Indiana, Ohio, and New York. She enjoyed many a great poker night in Ft. Wayne with her mom, aunts and uncles, and cousins.
Lucille is preceded in death by her husband Don, parents Sophia and Frank Stracke, and brothers Don and Rudy. She loved spending time at family gatherings, especially Christmas at her place with one-of-a-kind gifts and always something tucked into the ‘little’ stockings. She will be missed by those she leaves behind ~ her son Eric (Pam) and grandkids Lindsay (Joey) with daughter Hazel, and Neil (Jenny); son Brent (Nancy) and grandkids Sam, Jessica (Justin) with daughter Charlotte, and Jake; daughter Reneé (Rick) and grandkids Anthony, Adam, and Noah (Taylor) and bonus grandkids Natalie (Tony) and Nathan (Bree) with son Greyson and daughter Ella. Lucille always lit up when she spent time with her great-grandchildren; they kept her young and she instilled her crafting talents in them with plenty of crayons and colored markers close by for creative fun.
Lucille’s service will be held Friday, September 30, 2022 at 1:00pm at the Life Event Center at Florida Memorial, 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, FL.
If so desired, please consider honoring Lucille through her favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org.
Mom, you are loved and missed and we know that you are at peace.
DONATIONS
St. Jude's Children's Hospital262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105
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