Martin J Engelken

Lt. Col. Martin J. Engelken, USAF, Ret., passed away on March 15, 2022, in Orange Park, Florida. He was born on the family farm in Petersburg, Iowa on July 7,1937, to Henry and Rose Engelken. Upon graduating from Colesburg High School in 1955, Marty joined the Air Force. He was a navigator on the B52 prior to becoming a pilot, during which time he flew C130s, the 01 as a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, and T38 jets; thus, earning his Command Pilot Wings. He then transitioned to the Minuteman Missile Program as a Task Force Commander, highlighted by his team successfully launching two Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles 4000 miles over the Pacific. Upon the conclusion of this assignment, Marty became a Professor of Aerospace Studies (ROTC) at St. Michael’s College in Vermont; after retirement in 1984, he joined the faculty at Trinity College as Chair of the Business and Economics department. He taught at Trinity until he and his wife, Joyce, moved to Florida in 2004 to be near their children and grandchildren. He remained in education, however, teaching college online courses and enjoying traveling, playing golf, serving his church as Lay Eucharistic Minister, becoming an active member of the Elks, playing poker with his buddies, and being a good friend to so many.

Marty loved teaching and learning, the mountains and flying; his adventurous spirit leading him to downhill skiing, bungee jumping from a hot air balloon, hang gliding off a mountain in Germany, and hiking in Chamonix, France, and Switzerland. When he received his terminal diagnosis, his comment was how fortunate he was to have a wonderful family, to have met many people, to have visited many places and experienced things that many never had.

Marty married Joyce A. Ross in 1958. They had 4 children: Chris, Laura, Greg, and Linda. He was predeceased by his parents, 1 brother, 3 sisters, his son Chris, and his daughter Laura. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, his son Greg (Vermont), his daughter Linda (St. Augustine FL), his brother Dan and wife Dee (Seminole FL}, grandchildren Michael Hamar, Annie Bader (Dee Barnwell), Maj. Chris Engelken (Julianna), Sharon Rome (James), Ben Giese (Mavity), and Bailey Chokshi-Fox (Demetri), and great grandchildren Jaiden, Xavier, Rylie, and Alora.

Mass will be celebrated on April 4^th at 10AM in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Fleming Island, FL, followed by lunch at Sullivan Hall, and interment at the Jacksonville National Cemetery at 2:30PM.

In lieu of flowers, Marty has requested gifts to the following charities in memoriam: Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust, K9s for Warriors (Ponte Vedra FL), and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.