Joseph Earl Martinache was born March 2, 1920 in Tiperary, Iowa the son of Henry and Bertha (Sanders) Martinache.
Earl's mother died 7 days after giving birth, and he was raised by his grandparents, Alvis and Betsey Sanders, in the Red Rock area. On October 7, 1939 he was united in marriage to Hilda Dailey in Bethany, Missouri. To this union four children were born: Richard, Jerry, Don and Joan. The couple lived in Red Rock until moving to Knoxville in 1958. Earl served in the United States Navy during WWII. Following his honorable discharge he returned to Red Rock. Earl worked for the Merle Price Sawmill and then at Maytag for 30 years before he retired. Hilda passed away in 1994 and he later married Lu Smith.
Earl was a faithful Christian and was proud to help found the Eden Valley Foursquare Church. He also loved his family and friends, in fact, he never met a stranger. He had very strong work and moral ethics, which he passed on to his children. He taught the kids that a man is no better than his word, and you should honor your commitments and pay your bills. In his spare time, Earl enjoyed sprint car racing, and watching TV.
Earl passed away on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at the Knoxville Area Community Hospital at the age of 89 years, 8 months and 26 days.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Hilda; two brothers: Clem and Gerard "Red"; three sisters: Irene Nichols, Bertha Hegwood and Pearl and a son, Richard "Dick".
Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Lu; two sons: Jerry (Julie) of Mesa, Arizona and Don (Karen) of Monroe; daughter, Joan (Alan) Ver Steeg of Knoxville and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, other family members and friends.