James Phillip Martineau

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Martineau, James Phillip Died peacefully on March 6th, 2018. He was 88 years old. Jim was born in Madison, WI, in 1929, to James A. and Louise T. Martineau. He was the first of their four children, all raised in Oconto, WI. Jim started high school in Oconto, then as a sophomore went to Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. There he became deeply grounded in history and gained confidence in speaking French. He graduated in 1948. He returned to Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 1952 with a BA in English. He was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He also participated in the NROTC, which led him to serve in the US Navy as a lieutenant (junior grade) for three years on the destroyer SS Fox. After the Navy, Jim attended Harvard Law School. While there, he met Sally Newhart at a Wellesley mixer. They fell in love, and in 1957 they got married. After Jim graduated (1958), they moved to Minneapolis, MN, where he followed in his father's, grandfather's, and uncle's footsteps and began his career as a lawyer. He was a partner at Lindquist & Vennum, working there from the beginning of his career until his retirement in 1992. Jim and Sally traveled abroad a lot together, returning often to France. They also took many fishing, camping, and canoe trips, and spent lots of time at the family cabin on Rainy Lake. He was a lifelong, diehard reader. He loved history particularly, and loved to learn through reading. He taught himself wilderness camping, canoeing, and fly-fishing via reading books. He loved his family and his friends. He enjoyed family and school reunions, as well as those with fellow SS Fox officers. He was witty and funny and had an astonishing memory. He used his skills not only as an accomplished lawyer, but also in serving his community. He was a founding member of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Transit Commission. He was active in the DFL, Citizens League, Foreign Policy Association, Archeological Institute of America, Children's Theater Company, Advocates for Human Rights, and the Voyageurs National Park Association, among other organizations. He was known to chair a good meeting. In recent years he and Sally enjoyed and benefited from singing with other Alzheimers' families in the Giving Voice Chorus at MacPhail Center for Music. Jim was predeceased by his eldest daughter, Catherine, and his younger brother, Ted. He is survived by: his wife, Sally, son, James A., daughter, Helen (Erik Kraus), and two granddaughters, Hazel and Ginger Kraus, all of Minneapolis, MN; brother Pete (Mona) of Fair Oaks, CA, and sister Mary, of Laguna Woods, CA, and many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church (1900 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403) on Monday, March 12th at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Advocates for Human Rights (330 2nd Avenue S., Mpls., MN 55401) or Plymouth Church. Washburn-McReavy.com Davis Chapel 612-377-2203

Published on March 11, 2018