Esther Martin Townzen Obituary
Mountain Democrat
Placerville, El Dorado, California
Wednesday 10 Oct 2007
Esther (Martin) Townzen
Oct. 8, 1912 - Oct. 3, 2007
Esther (Martin) Townzen was a descendant of early Placerville, Calif., settlers. Her grandparents were Mary Jane (Combellack) Martin and John Martin of Cornwall, England. The Martins came to Placerville during the 1860s because the Cornish miners were desired for their expertise in the hard rock mining industry.
Esther Townzen was born in Placerville on Oct. 8, 1912, to Thomas John Martin and Lillian (Fallon) Martin. She lived her long life in Placerville, watching the town grow from a town of board sidewalks, unpaved streets and cattle drives over Sacramento Hill to what it is today. She and her siblings shared many experiences of Placerville's early days, and she was an avid story-teller about those events. She will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Esther was preceded in death by two sons,Kevin and David Townzen. Surviving her are her sons, Stephen R. Townzen and Wayne Townzen, both of Placerville; her daughters, Janice Small and husband, Tom, of Campbell, Calif., Carol Russell of Placerville, Diana Cary and husband, Mike, of Fresno, Calif., Sylvia Leins and husband, Doug, of Nashville, Tenn.; brother, Ralph Martin of Los Altos, Calif.; sisters, Ruth Russell of Carmichael, Calif., and Beatrice Cadenhead of Cameron Park; 21 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and 14 great-great-grandchildren.
A visitation will take place at Chapel of the Pines Funeral Home on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. with a Rosary at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held the following day (Monday) at St. Patrick Catholic Church at 11 a.m