Francis Martell, a Chippewa Falls native who once owned a weekly shopper in Menomonie, died Saturday, Jan. 19, at age 90.
After graduating from McDonnell High School in 1947, Martell enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He trained in Mississippi and served in Michigan and North Dakota, where he met his wife, Hjordis. Together, they had nine children, 24 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.
When he returned to Wisconsin in 1952, Martell started Martell TV with his brother, Art. In 1968, he bought the Dunn County Reminder newspaper in Menomonie.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25 at The Church of Notre Dame in Chippewa Falls with interment and military rites to follow at Hope Cemetery.
