Funeral services for William "Bill" E. Martin, Sr. will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the United Church of Christ in Chamberlain with burial of the ashes at a later date.   Visitation with family present, will be held 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Hickey Funeral Chapel in Chamberlain.

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Bill passed away Thursday April 7 ^th , 2022, at Ava's House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with his family at his side.

Bill was born September 29, 1949, in Mitchell, SD to Edward and Lola (Rossman) Martin.  He grew up in Rapid City, SD until the age of 16 when the family moved to the farm in Ft. Thompson, SD, where his dad put him on a tractor and said "go".  Bill graduated from Chamberlain High School in 1967.  He went to Southern State Teachers College in Springfield, SD and graduated with an Associate Degree in Auto Mechanics.  He continued his education, taking Vocational Teacher Education for two years.  At that point, his dad asked him to come back to the farm where he resided until he retired. After selling the farm in 2006, he designed a home and had it built "up on the hill" in Chamberlain, SD, where he and Miki have enjoyed their retirement.

Bill farmed 800 irrigated acres and maintained a 500 head cow-calf herd for many years.  He served on the Buffalo County Commission, the FSA Committee, he was the President of the NW Irrigation District, a delegate to the SD Irrigation Organization, and a member of the SD Corn Growers and Soybean Association.  He was the recipient of numerous "Highest Yield" awards over his farming career.

Bill married Michele "Miki" Dahl on April 27, 1974.  They had two children, Marcy and William Jr. "Will".  Bill was very proud of his family and attended all their activities, whether he enjoyed them or not.  Bill's family was the most important thing in his life.

Bill enjoyed softball, bowling, golf, boating, fishing, hunting, and just generally spending time with his friends and family.  He was known for his sense of humor and his ability to lean over the back of a pickup and talk for hours on end.

Bill is survived by his wife Miki Martin, his daughter Marcy (Glen) Drew, their children Tatum and Austin, his son Will Martin Jr., his niece Deanna (John) Nelson, her son Michael Thomas, and many other family and friends.

Preceding him in death were his parents Edward and Lola Martin, his sister Sharyn Stanton, her husband Darrell, and numerous aunts and uncles.

Memorials will be donated to Chamberlain FFA and Chamberlain School Fine Arts programs.