A Celebration of Life with full military honors was held on August 29, 2024 at Fort Rosecrans National Military Cemetery for Martin Pearson, 97. He passed away on May 23, 2024, at his home in Poway, CA, holding the hands of his loved ones as he peacefully joined his wife and his Lord, Jesus Christ. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 12, 1926, to Swedish immigrants, the late Martin Persson and Ingeborg Hartelius Pearson. Martin, a child of the depression graduated from Bowen High School a semester early in Jan.1944 to join the Navy during WWII. He was assigned to Newberry College in South Carolina for flight school and after the war he attended the Univ. of South Carolina graduating with honors in Chemical Engineering at the age of twenty.

In 1947 Martin became a Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps. At that time, he became reacquainted with a former high school classmate, the beautiful Millie Broberg (also a Swedish American), who was working in New York City. Eventually Martin was transferred to the Central Pacific Area where he received special permission from the Governor of the Marianas Islands to marry Millie (because at that time single women were not allowed on the Islands). She flew alone to Guam for her wedding in December of 1949. Martin went on to a fulfilling career in the Marine Corps moving over 16 times. He received his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA, graduating first in his class. His career focused on Missile Defense and Strategic Weapons Development. One of his final posts was as the Marine Corps Liaison officer at Redstone Arsenal.