Obituary of Martin George Oeltjen

Martin George Oeltjen, 83, of Lodi, was called home to his Lord on July 23, 2023, after battling Alzheimer's and cancer. He was born February 12, 1940 in Beatrice, Nebraska to August and Erna Oeltjen.

Martin  was raised in Beatrice, where he attended St. Paul Lutheran School and then graduated from Beatrice High school in 1958. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served active duty in Okinawa and then served in the Navy Reserves. He then attended the University of Nebraska. In 1965, he married Marilyn Lempka and the two moved to California, where he  attended San Francisco State. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Television and Film Production and minored in Journalism in 1968.

Martin was employed by Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, where he made training videos for missile production for 30 years. He and his family settled in San Jose until relocating to Lodi in 1986.

Martin's passion was photography and video production and also took pleasure in golfing, camping and attending baseball games with family. He loved attending his grandchildren's sporting events, where he would always be seen with a camera. He was an avid fan of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team and never missed watching a game.  He loved his family and spent many Sunday afternoons with them at local wineries or at his favorite restaurant, Papapavlos. For several years, he took trips with them to his timeshares and also to Lake Tahoe. Martin was a very adventurous man and delighted in exploring his surroundings. He was fascinated by trains and as a young child, he often left the house by himself to go watch them. He always believed in staying positive in life and taught his children to never give up. Martin attended the Lutheran Church his whole life and hardly ever missed a Sunday. His faith was strong and he took pleasure in using his gifts to serve the Lord. He loved spending time with people from the church and attended many of the men's breakfasts.

Martin  was proceeded in death by his parents and two sisters, Marlene Oeltjen and Elaine Girl.

He is survived by daughters, Pam Bauserman (Michael) and Cindy Eproson, (Chuck); granddaughters, Katelyn Eproson and Julianne Bauserman; sisters, Jane Oeltjen and Ruth Engelhaupt; brothers, Ray Oeltjen and David Oeltjen; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 13 at 1 p.m. at Zion Reformed Lutheran Church in Lodi, CA.