Ann Marie Martin

Ann Marie (Duffy) Martin
November 27, 1965 – August 10, 2025

Ann Marie (Duffy) Martin, dedicated wife, mother, and steadfast friend, passed away surrounded by a wide circle of loved ones in Fargo on August 10th, 2025. She was 59.

From the hockey rink to the lake cabin (with many concerts in between), Ann didn’t watch life from the sidelines—she met it head-on, immersing herself in her passions and her community through all stages of life.

Born November 27, 1965, in Warren, MN, as the only child of Carol (Eggen) and John Patrick Duffy, Ann immediately earned the moniker “Punky,” a fitting nickname for the spirited and “spicy” woman she would become. She loved helping on the family farm and took great pride in being part of its daily life until her parents retired from farming in 2000. She graduated from East Grand Forks High School in 1984, then attended Minnesota State University–Moorhead, where she was a member of Alpha Phi International Fraternity. After graduating in 1988 with a paralegal degree, Ann began working at the Clay County Courthouse—a job she held for 39 years, until her death from a brain aneurysm.

It was through her job that she met her great love, Tom Martin. Ann and Tom met in 1994 at the courthouse, while Tom was working as the Moorhead City Prosecutor. Judge Michael Kirk ordered Tom to take his courtroom clerk, Ann, on a date. Tom replied, “I’m not sure it’s proper if we both work at the court and date,” to which Judge Kirk replied, “Mr. Martin, I’ll put it in writing if I have to.” Tom and Ann were partners in life ever since and were married on January 14, 2000.

The births of their children, Samantha “Sammy” in 2001 and John Dennis “J.D.” in 2003, provided Ann with her life’s greatest work. Ann was an exceptionally engaged mother; her children will remember her as someone who never let them down. She taught church school classes at Hope Lutheran Church and was an especially involved hockey mom, who found great pride in her children’s successes on and off the ice. Many laughs and memories were shared in her basement, as she thoroughly enjoyed hosting all her “other” sons and daughters (friends of Sammy and J.D.). The friendships she forged among her “hockey family” extended beyond the hockey rink, as players from the Fargo Force USHL hockey team became her bonus children—with nine different players living with the Martin family throughout the years: Blake Doerring, David Mead, Brady Reisgraf, Brendan Harms, Justin Scott, Justin Wade, Tanner Jago, Colton Poolman, and Nick Strom.

Ann was fiercely loyal to her friends and family, guided by an ethos that prioritized family above all else. But in Ann’s definition, familial dedication wasn’t reserved just for blood relatives. Her most sacred moments were found when she was surrounded by her people: on vacation with Tom and the kids, with extended family at the hunting cabin or on the lake, and with her friends on girls’ weekends. Just before her passing, Ann and Tom were with friends at WE Fest, living her best life at one of her favorite events.

Ann loved pickup trucks, green tractors, and Bud Select 55. She embraced each season of her life with sassiness and sparkle, embellished in leather and lace.

She will be remembered as someone who always put others’ needs before her own—perhaps most poignantly through her generosity as an organ, eye, and tissue donor.

She is survived by her husband, Tom (Fargo, ND); her children, Samantha (Fargo, ND) and John (Fargo, ND); her mother, Carol Duffy (Moorhead, MN); her mother- and father-in-law, Jean and Dennis Martin (Fargo, ND); brother-in-law, Brian Martin, and sister-in-law, Michelle Dunn; two nieces, Brianna Martin (Des Moines, IA) and Taylor Martin (Fargo, ND); her aunts, Mary Hawkinson (Michigan) and Donna (Eggen) Krause (Grand Forks, ND); and many cousins.

Ann is preceded in death by her father, John Patrick Duffy; her grandparents, Rudolf and Doris (Anderson) Eggen, and John and Aurelia Duffy; her aunt, Ruby Cherry; and her uncle, Robert Eggen.

Ann was a dog person. She is survived by her yellow lab, Holden, and is preceded in death by her yellow lab, Wyatt Earp, and her German shorthaired pointer, Jesse James.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 15, at 11:00 a.m. at Hope Lutheran Church – North Campus (2900 Broadway N, Fargo, ND 58102).

Visitation will take place on Thursday, August 14, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran – North Campus, followed by a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.

Visitation will continue at the church on Friday at 10:00 a.m., one hour before the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Minnesota Special Hockey (7009 Weston Circle, Edina, MN 55439; mnspecialhockey.org) or LifeSource (2225 West River Road N, Minneapolis, MN 55411; life-source.org).