Ginny Martin, 92, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend was born June 4, 1932 in Brockton Massachusetts to Raoul and Dolores Gladue-Gagnon, and passed away May 21, 2025 in Oxnard, California. Ginny was an Oxnard resident for 60 years and passed comfortably at home.
At the young age of 2 years old, Virginia was taught to sing by her own grandmother and fell in love with performing. In her formative years she performed with her mother, Dolores Gagnon, who was an accomplished pianist.
Schooling began in Brockton, then during WW2 the family was stationed in Sebring, Fl. They moved back to Massachusetts where she graduated from Brockton HS in 1950. During her school years she had many hobbies including: pep squad, baton, tumbling, bowling, roller skate-dancing, trumpet, and acapella choir.
After high school she moved to New York City to pursue her career and first love as a professional singer. To make ends meet, she worked for Trans World Airlines while continuing to sing, dance and act on the side. In 1958, Ginny joined an all-girls trio called “The Charmonaires” which toured the supper clubs of North America. Ginny bought the trio in 1959, renamed it “The Grace Notes”, and toured again throughout the US, Canada, Caribbean, South America and even Greenland.
She caught her “big break” (well deserved after years of hard work) and performed on Broadway in Camelot, which paved the way for many other performances including Carousel, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Music Man, Sound of Music, and Gone with Wind. Ginny also worked on the movie productions of Camelot and Harry & Walter Go to New York.
Ginny met stage technician Emmett Edward O’Connell while on the road in show business. They married and Ginny embraced Emmett’s two sons from his previous marriage, Emmett and Roland. Six years later a daughter, Heather Marie, was born - the delight of her life. Ginny and Emmett later divorced, and he has since passed away.
In 1983 Ginny met Leo Martin, a handsome civil engineer widower at Santa Clara Church. They married within two months. With the joining of their families, their combined children included Ginny’s daughter Heather and Leo’s children Meridee, Jonathan, Gerard and Beth Martin.
Ginny and Leo continued to have a full, happy, spiritual life together supporting the Church for over thirty years. Ginny sang for countless church services, weddings, and funerals as the cantor for the Parish, becoming a beloved member of the Church community.
Ginny treasured the moments spent with Leo surrounded by family and friends during any one of their many famous family gatherings. Leo and Ginny were married for nearly 34 years until Leo’s passing in 2017. She is preceded in death by her parents Raoul and Dolores Gagnon, her son Jonathan Martin and her cherished husband Leo. She is survived by her children Heather O’Connell-Grabowski (Mike), Meridee Wilson (Bruce), Gerard Martin and Beth Leuenberger. Grandchildren: Ariel Bergthold-Gamboa (Jake), Joseph (Erin), Jared and Luke Wilson, Nicole, Jerry, Michelle, Melissa, Christine and Anthony Martin, Twila and Lylla Houston and Dante Leuenberger (Dori), Geniveve Selberg, Sequoyah Grabowski and fifteen great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ventura County Alzheimer’s Association in her name. Arrangements are through Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura, CA. Funeral services will be held at Santa Clara Catholic Church in Oxnard on June 4th, 2025, at 10:00am. Burial immediately following at Santa Clara Cemetery. Reception to follow at:
BG’s Café
428 S. A Street
Oxnard, CA 93030
1pm – 4pm