Edward Martin January 3, 1927 – January 1, 2016

Remembrances can be sent to: Los Banos Animal Shelter c/o Los Banos Police Department, 1000 Airport Rd, Los Banos, CA 93635. 209-827-7070. A double celebration of life service for Edward Martin and his granddaughter, Chelsea Martin, will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2016, at Pea Soup Anderson’s in Santa Nella (Hwy 33 and IH 5) from 1:00-4:00 P.M., in their downstairs dining room.
 Edward Martin passed away on January 1, 2016, after a year of complications from several illnesses. 
 He was born in Kekaha, on the island of Kauai, HI, on January 3, 1927. He was the tenth and last child of Delfin and Antonia Martin, both were immigrants from Spain. He spent his first 13 years living on a sugar cane planation in Kekaha where his father was a foreman. 
 He came to Gilroy, CA at age 13 and graduated from Hollister High School in 1945. He graduated from UC Davis with a BS in crop science, a major he helped to create.
 He served four years in the army during the Korean War in Washington state as a food inspector where he met and married his wife of 61 years, Naomi Martin. 
 He began farming in Hollister, CA after being discharged from the army, then moved to Gustine, CA to his walnut orchards in 1968. He continued to farm row crops in Hollister, orchards in Gustine, and row crops in Firebaugh, CA. He also spent many years in commercial tomato harvesting and was one of the first to use a new-fangled tomato harvesting machine with an electric eye.
 He was frequently consulted for his agricultural expertise by UC Davis Extension and Cornell University for his innovative agricultural practices. 
 He loved his life as a farmer, continually reading and researching all the latest information and practices.  
 He designed and built the first hydraulic walnut huller in California and people came from all over the state to see how it worked.
 He was known as a brilliant man of great honor and integrity, a straight shooter. He was generous, kind and loved and respected by all who knew him. He did business with his word and a hand shake. One year,  he won the Gustine Chamber of Commerce Farmer of the Year Award.
 Ed was a long-time member of the Rotary Club and President for several years; on the Merced County Grand Jury for two years; charter member of Cal-Can (California Canners & Growers), serving many years on their board of directors; and a long-time member of the Merced County Farm Bureau, serving many years on its Board of Directors.
 He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Naomi Martin, his son, Michael Martin and his daughter-in-law, Cynthia Martin; his daughters, Antonia Martin and Kelly Martin; his granddaughter, Alyssa Martin; and his step-grandchildren, Mark McDonald and Melissa Estacio. 
 He was followed in death the next day (January 2, 2016), by his granddaughter, Chelsea Martin, after she had struggled with life-long health issues. 
 He is also survived by his sister, Dolores Cunningham (95 years young), 12 nieces, seven nephews and multiple grandnieces and nieces.