William “Bill” St. Martin, age 91, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2026, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

Bill was born January 5, 1935, in International Falls, Minnesota. While still a youngster, he moved with his family to Faribault and then Millersburg. In January 1952, at the age of 17, Bill joined the United States Air Force.

On October 15, 1955, Bill married Patricia Ann Cleland of Northfield, Minnesota. He was discharged from the Air Force in January 1956 and then joined the Air Force Reserve while beginning a career with the Federal Civil Service in Minneapolis as an aircraft mechanic.

Bill’s Reserve unit was assigned C-119 aircraft, known as the “Flying Boxcar.” He accumulated more than 1,000 flying hours in the C-119 as a flight engineer. In October 1962, Bill was activated for the Cuban Crisis. He served for approximately 30 days before being released when the crisis ended. He remained in the Air Force Reserve until 1965.

Bill began selling insurance with Farmers Insurance Group. He then became a District Manager in Rochester and went on to spend 34 years managing the Southeast Minnesota and La Crosse, Wisconsin districts before retiring in 2000.

Bill and Pat were blessed with four children: Sandy (Bill) Whitworth of Northfield; Larry (LaVonne), Bob, and Colleen (Brian) Pike, all of Rochester, in addition to 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 70 years, Patricia, who passed away in April 2026; his parents, three brothers, Don, Tom, and Roy; and his sister, Corinne Hagen.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Church of the Resurrection Catholic Church with visitation one hour prior to the Mass. Burial will take place in the Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery in Preston, Minnesota.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Dorothy Day House in Rochester, Minnesota.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com