Martin John Stoddard

Martin John Stoddard, 86, of Shelley, passed away June 4, 2026, after a long health battle.

He was born in Shelley, Idaho, on January 6, 1940, to Wilford and Ireta Stoddard. He was the thirteenth of sixteen children, eight boys and eight girls. He was raised in Shelley and learned all aspects of farming at a young age.

He was drafted into the Army in 1962 and served in Korea. He was very proud of that and often shared stories of his experiences there.

Martin married the love of his life, Linda Clark, on December 12, 1964. Together they had two daughters, Rita and Lisa, and was very close to them.

Martin and his brother, Fred, were very close and married sisters from the Clark family. They raised their children together and did everything together. He was always “tending kids,” his nieces and nephews, grandchildren and neighbor kids and enjoyed spending time with all of them. He made blocks for all of them, cutting, shaping, and sanding each and every one to perfection. They played with them for countless hours.

Martin was a master carpenter, machinist, and fabricator. He farmed and worked for several potato warehouses in his career. He was very respected and had many friends. He taught his nieces, nephews and grandchildren all of his skills. They use all of those skills to this day.

Martin is survived by his daughters, Rita (Scott) Olson and Lisa (Tony) Wise; brother, Fred (Sandra) Stoddard; nephews, Kelly (Stacey) Stoddard and Pat (Linda) Stoddard; nieces, Kathy (Thomas) Grahm, and Candace (Dave) Kropp; and many other nieces and nephews; grandchildren, Kendall Olson, Kylie Olson, and Bryce (Kennedy) Toman; four great-grandchildren; daughter adoped by love, Laura (Michael) Gutke; and his companion and best friend, the cat Cali.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Linda Stoddard; his parents; fourteen brothers and sisters; and his grandson Matt Toman.

A memorial service will be held in the spring or summer of 2027, when all the family will be together.