Martin L. DeBats

Martin Louis DeBats, age 81 of Fremont, passed away Saturday, April 25, 2008 at his home. Martin was born on July 5, 1926 in Royal Oak, Michigan to Charles and Florence (Pratt) DeBats and married Betty Lou Jansma on May 17, 1946 in Grand Rapids. Martin served in the United States Army during World War II and was a Certified Public Accountant who practiced in Grand Rapids to 1955, then worked for Gerber Products Company for 33 years in various locations in the United States and Canada, retiring as a controller in 1988. He was an avid aviator for many years and flew his own plane throughout the country, enjoyed playing traditional jazz on his clarinet and was a member of the Fremont Rotary Club. He and his wife divided their retirement years between Fremont and Venice, Florida.

He was preceded in death by his wife of almost 62 years, Betty on March 28, 2008. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Jan & Mark Young of Minneapolis, Minnesota; a son and daughter-in-law, Roger & Terri DeBats of Warner Robins, Georgia; a grandson, Jason DeBats. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Dorothy A. McLaughlin and Phyllis Cassleman.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 11am at the Fremont United Methodist Church with a visitation from 10-11am at the church with Rev. Carolin Spragg presiding. Interment will be in the Fremont United Methodist Church Memorial Garden. Friends may consider the Fremont Area Community Foundation or the Gerber Memorial Health Services in Fremont for memorial contributions in memory of Martin. Friends may send a condolence or share a memory with the DeBats family online at www.crandellfh.com. Arrangements by Crandell Funeral Home – Fremont Chapel.

To the Family of Martin,

My sincere condolences to all of you. Martin & Betty were friends that I got to know better after I retired eight years ago. I shared some good times with them and we saw each other a few times while we stayed in Venice as well. They told us about "Captain Eddie's" and we shared a meal together there with them there as well. Great fun. After Martin & Betty got sick, I would stop in occasionally (not enough) to visit with them. They were great, loving people and aways asked about how I was doing. They have sponsored me in the Relay for Life for many years, as I, like Martin, am a survivor of cancer. I will miss them both. Do remember the good times you had with them as they brought you up and shared their love and life with you. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you grieve the loss of not only one parent, but two.

My sincere condolences,

Ardyce (Ardie) Van Arman

Posted 4/29/2008