Martin Finkenstaedt

Martin Finkenstaedt, 75, of Eau Claire, WI, died unexpectedly on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Martin was born in post WW II Munich to a then West German father (Michael Finkenstaedt) and an East German mother (Agnes Kerber Finkenstaedt). Growing up in proximity to the Alps and Bavarian countryside, he developed a strong love of outdoor activities—mountain trekking, distance bicycling, soccer, downhill and cross-country skiing—as well as a devotion to the environment, and a commitment to international peace.  In lieu of traditional military duty he opted to serve wounded and disabled German servicemen and women at the Bad Wörishofen Rehabilitation Center in Lower Allgäu, Bavaria.

Martin was multilingual, fluent in French and English besides German. He enjoyed traveling on both sides of ‘The Pond’. His formal education included two advanced degrees, one in mathematics from Ludwig Maxmillian Universitaet (Munich), and the second a Masters in Social Sciences (economics  focus) from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN).  He put his talents and training to good use in his work in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, and the USA.  He served as a statistician for the operations strategy company Alexander Proudfoot, worked as a production manager for Land O Lakes Cooperative, and a forecaster and senior economist at Cenex/Harvest States’ headquarters in the Twin Cities.

In 1973 Martin met Patricia Quinn, at that time a Fulbright Scholar conducting research in Munich. In 1982 they married in Binghamton, NY and shortly thereafter moved to Wisconsin where Dr. Quinn had accepted a position at UW-Eau Claire.  Their daughter Solaire, of whom Martin was immensely proud, was born in Eau Claire. She shares her father’s mathematical talent; following her receipt of a doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, she accepted employment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Besides Solaire and Patricia, Martin is survived by a brother Klaus (Alison) of Lincoln, NE and their children Andreas and Ericka; a sister Monika McMahon (Larry) and their children Klara and Niel of Fremont, CA; a sister Barbara Thomas (Gunther) and their children Rita Metternich and Ulrich of Munich; a first cousin Barbara Finkenstaedt of Wildsteig, Germany and nephew Simon and niece Afra, respectively of Germany and Austria. Maternal relatives in Stralsund, Germany include his aunt Brigitte Affeldt, first cousins Andrea Korth (Uwe), Martina Affeldt, Christine Bloch, Sabine Affeldt, and second cousins Tobias, Susan, Andie, and Markus.

Martin was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Peter, and sister Ursula.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Friends and family may offer condolences online at www.hulkefamilyfh.com.

Hulke Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701 is assisting the family with the arrangements.  

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