Martin Guenther

Martin was born in Mexico on April 3, 1935 to Katharina (nee: Harder) Guenther and Franz Guenther. The family moved around so it was difficult for the children to get any kind of schooling there. Eventually they returned to Canada and at the age of 16 Martin was hired by the City of Saskatoon, where he was employed until he retired at the age of 55. While in their employ he became the star grader operator, being able to level the roadway for very long distances to within half an inch of level, relying solely on sight and instinct.

Martin was baptized in the Warman Bergthaler church in the spring of 1955 and in the fall of that same year, on October 23, he married his sweetheart, Mary Siemens. They built a home in the country and moved there in July 1956.

Here they raised their four children and kept themselves very busy building their home, a barn, sheds and various other outbuildings, raising cattle, pigs, and chickens. There was no shortage of things to be done after work, but there was always food on the table because of their efforts.

When not busy with the every day chores of life, he spent many hours in his shop working on fixing tools and equipment needed for the operation of their hobby farm, building a tool for a particular task, and if there was time, his hobbies. He was known to be the one to ask for advice if ever you were trying to fix something. He had an innate sense of how things operate and could visualize the process very accurately so that when he was done building or fixing an item it was working.

After his retirement he had more time for his hobbies. These were things like building furniture including, among many other things, a complete dining room set with a large table and chairs in the Queen Anne style to accommodate the family, and a china cabinet and hutch to match. He also built an elaborate two story log cabin doll house for his grandchildren, complete with all the furniture, a spiral staircase and working lights. Of course he spent much time in the garage repairing anything that was broken, both for himself and friends.

Hunting with his sons and others each autumn was a must, the highlight of the year, and once he had built and perfected his Argo they would take that with them and use it to navigate streams and marshes in their hunting area.

Fishing and camping throughout the summer was always special for family time, and grandchildren and great grandchildren would look forward eagerly to going camping with grandpa and grandma and catching fish that they would eat at the fire later.

Toward the end of his life he encountered a number of health issues which was extremely challenging for him. Losing his vision and being unable to drive was also difficult. But even in these hard times he always had a smile on his face and loved to have his family, specially his grandchildren and great grandchildren, stop by for a visit. He would always thank his guests for coming and ask them to please come again soon.

Martin spent his last few days in the palliative care unit at Saint Pauls hospital, where he was given the best of care by the wonderful staff there. With his family around him he passed peacefully and triumphantly into the presence of his Lord. Heaven is now his home, and he will be waiting and watching for his loved ones to join him there.

Martin is will be sorely missed by his lovin wife Mary, his daughter Martha (Brian) Newton, their son Scott (Lyndsey) Newton and great-grandchildren Samantha, Hailey, Logan, Mikayla, Kylie; their daughter Amanda (John) Buckingham and great-grandchildren Jessica, Micah, Macy; son Richard Guenther; son Andy (Shelly) Guenther and their children Ryan and Riley; son Jeffrey (Kim) Guenther.

Martin's Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 13th, 2024, at Martensville Mission Church, 6 5th Avenue North, Martensville, SK.

Martens Warman Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the care and arrangements for Martin Guenther.