Patricia Martin

Patricia Ann Martin (Schaffer), 78, Bismarck, passed away on January 22, 2020. Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 28, at Charity Lutheran Church, 120 Aspen Ave, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m, Monday, January 28, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave, Bismarck.

Pat was born in Wishek, North Dakota in 1941 to Reinhold and Pauline Schaffer. She grew up in Wishek with two older sisters and two younger sisters. Her father loved to hear his daughters sing, and they often sang together as a group. In 1959, she graduated from Wishek High School as Salutatorian. Pat graduated from Jamestown College in 1961 with a two-year degree in elementary education and began her career as a teacher in Harvey, ND. In April of 1963, she married Waburn Martin. The week following their wedding, Waburn, who was in the U.S. Army, left for Frankfurt, Germany. Pat had to stay in the US to finish her year of teaching, but then joined him in Berlin, Germany, where they lived for two years. While there, Pat played a lot of cards late into the evening with her good friend, Shirley, while their husbands were on assignment. When Waburn’s tour of duty ended, he and Pat returned to Dickinson, North Dakota, where he pursued a teaching certificate, and she taught 5th grade. Waburn was then hired to teach Spanish at Valley City High School, at which time Pat went back to school and obtained her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and library science. Waburn and Pat then began looking at universities where Waburn could get his master’s degree, as well as a city where she could find a teaching position. Albuquerque, New Mexico offered them just what they were looking for. In fact, moving to Albuquerque changed the trajectory of Pat’s career. The school to which she had applied was so impressed with her credentials, the teachers took on additional students so that they could afford to hire her as a full-time librarian. She was the only full-time librarian in an Albuquerque school at that time. With Waburn’s master’s degree finished and two years as a librarian under Pat’s belt, the pair caught the eye of a Superintendent in southern New Mexico. Superintendent Daves of the Tularosa School District wanted Pat to start a library on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, and Waburn to teach Spanish. They obtained special permission to live on the Reservation and moved there in 1969. While living in Mescalero, they became heavily involved in the cultural events of the community. They attended pow-wows, where Pat often helped Waburn make video recordings of the events. In 1972, Pat and Waburn welcomed a daughter, Paula, into their family. Pat went back to school one more time in 1975, and obtained her master’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University. In 1976, Pat was moved from Mescalero Elementary to Tularosa Junior High School, so the family moved to nearby Tularosa. Pat was a librarian there for more than 25 years. After retirement, she wanted to continue to be involved with the local schools. She was voted unanimously onto the school board for several years. Pat often traveled back to North Dakota to visit her family. After Waburn retired, he joined her on a trip back to North Dakota. While they were visiting, they felt a pull back to their roots and decided to purchase a home in Bismarck. They sold their house in New Mexico and returned to North Dakota in 2005.

Pat was first and foremost, an educator. She loved her students, and they loved her. She was always first pick as a sponsor for spelling bees and geography bees. She loved reading and she was eager to help instill a love of reading in her students. If another teacher reprimanded a student for reading a comic book, Pat would stand up for the student, and tell the teacher that it was more important that the student was reading than what they were reading, period. She was always engaged with the latest forms of technology, and made sure that her library had everything the students needed to succeed. When Pat retired, the Native American students held a pow-wow and gifted her with a beautiful blanket. 

While living in Tularosa, Pat was an active member of Tularosa United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school and led the children’s choir. She was a member of the adult choir and also enjoyed her UMW women’s church group. 

After their return to North Dakota, Pat continued to be involved with women’s church groups. She particularly enjoyed going to her “Faithfully Fit” exercise class and attending meetings of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. She and Waburn celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii. They also took a trip of a lifetime to Israel in 2014, where she swam in the Dead Sea and walked the Via Dolorosa.

Music was a constant joy throughout her life. She loved listening to music, singing, and played piano at home for her own enjoyment. 

Pat will be greatly missed by her family and friends. 

She is survived by her husband, Waburn Martin, Bismarck; her daughter, Paula (Martin) Duntley; son-in-law, Joshua Duntley; two granddaughters, Helena and Carys, Galloway, NJ; her four sisters, Ramona Eisenbarth of New Leipzig; Marilyn Eiseman, Bismarck; Connie Bertsch, Daytona Beach Shores, FL; and Wanda Wiseman, Kansas City, MO. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Reinhold and Pauline Schaffer of Wishek.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the God’s Child Project: godschild.org, or the Children’s Literacy Foundation: clifonline.org.