March 26, 1935 – July 20, 2024
Shrewsbury – David Wight Martinson of Shrewsbury, and formerly of Northborough, died July 20, 2024 after a period of declining health. Born March 26,1935 in Concord, where his Norwegian grandparents had settled in the early 1900s, Dave was the son of Edwin A. and Vivian (Wight) Martinson.
Dave grew up in three Massachusetts towns where his father was the superintendent of schools: Groton, Billerica (where he graduated high school in 1953), and Marshfield. His higher education began at Tufts University, where with faculty support he developed his interest in science by assisting botany and zoology instructors on campus and at area junior colleges. With a 1957 B.S. in Biology from Tufts, Dave went on to receive an M.Ed. in Education/Zoology at UMass Amherst.
From infancy, Dave was a Cape Codder whose summer jobs began with caddying at age 9 and moved up to drug-store clerking in Hyannis, then to delivering milk to Hood customers, and later delivering laundry for Chase Laundry customers. In 1957, as the seafood chef at the Mooring Sea Grill in Hyannis, Dave worked along with a waitress from Pennsylvania named Jodie, who became his wife two years later.
After their marriage, Dave and Jodie lived several years in Port Washington, N.Y., where Dave taught biology to sophomores at Schreiber High School. His opportunity to teach biology at Framingham High School in Massachusetts brought them back to his native state, and Dave later began a 32-year career teaching junior high/middle school science as science coordinator for Sudbury Public Schools, as well as chairman of the Ephraim Curtis Middle School Science Department. With his staff, he developed a physical science program that used no textbooks and featured all lab work.
Dave was active in the Massachusetts Association of Science Supervisors, and he consulted in evaluating elementary science programs for many towns in New England. Upon his retirement from Sudbury Public Schools, the town’s board of selectmen named David a Teacher Emeritus and issued a proclamation noting, in part, that Sudbury students were the beneficiaries of his dedication, love of teaching, and enthusiasm for the subject of science.
For 58 years, Northborough was home for Dave’s family. He served as clerk of First Parish Unitarian for many years, volunteered his cooking skills for church events, and taught Sunday School. He was a volunteer for Boy Scout Troop 1, served on the town dog-control committee, and took part in developing trails at Edmund Hill Woods after the site was bequeathed to the town.
With the town’s historic Wachusett Aqueduct abutting his backyard, Dave enjoyed cross-country skiing thereon and, in milder weather – ever the naturalist – he led walks calling attention to the bird population as well as trees and shrubs growing alongside the aqueduct. He planted and nurtured the growth of flowering shrubs and trees around his home and volunteered at Tower Hill during the early development of its Botanic Garden. While doing business as the Natural Landscape, Dave also designed and maintained gardens for several clients in the region.
In addition to his wife of 65 years, Jodie (Hough) Martinson, David leaves son Eric of Wellfleet, son Bruce and wife Dodie (Fry) of Litchfield, Maine; daughter Sarah and husband James Biliouris of Worcester; granddaughter Heidi and husband Benjamin Bambrick of Deerfield, NH; grandsons Henry Martinson of Cumberland, Maine, Theodosios Biliouris of Worcester, and Nicholas Biliouris of East Falmouth; and great-grandchildren Lincoln and Josephine Bambrick of Deerfield. Dave also leaves his niece Martha Ryan of California and nephew Cullen Ryan of Maine, and generations of Martinson and Wight cousins.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours on Friday, July 26th. from 4:00pm-6:00pm at the Chiampa Funeral Home, 5 Church Road, On the Common, Shrewsbury Center.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of David, who was a long-time member of Tower Hill, may be sent to: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA 01505 www.nebg.org.
