Martin Winkler Obituary

Winkler
Martin "Marty" Eugene
Winkler
January 7, 1953
December 23, 2023

Martin Eugene Winkler, age 70, of Colorado Springs, CO, passed away peacefully at home after a long battle with cancer on December 23, 2023.
He was born in St Louis, MO on January 7, 1953 to Eugene and Mary Winkler, living in their modest two bedroom home on Oakbriar Drive, a street where several aunts, uncles and cousins also lived. Marty attended Assumption Catholic grade school in St Louis County and Vianney High School in Kirkwood, MO. He excelled academically, was on the football team and played drums in a band called the "Sounds of Soul".
He studied Aeronautical Engineering at Parks College of St Louis University in Cahokia, Il, and attended graduate school at Texas A&M University in Texarkana, AR, later working for the United States Army as a civilian engineer at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a U. S. Army facility located in Maryland. He later left the Army and took a job as a design engineer with Kaman Aerospace Instrumentation division in Colorado Springs, spent time living in San Francisco with aspirations to be a writer and consultant, but eventually settled back in Colorado Springs with Kaman.
In 1996 Marty married Sandra, the love of his life.
When Kaman closed their division in Colorado Springs, Marty was hired by Times Microwave division of Amphenol Corporation in 2002 to develop their SiO2 product line in Wallingford, Connecticut, but continued to work remotely from his home in Colorado Springs until his retirement in 2015.
Marty was an engineer, scientist, physicist, designer, philosopher and artist, extremely creative and multi-talented. Although in fact he was an accomplished engineer, later in his life he would refer to himself only as an artist. He was a lover of art, studied sketching and painting techniques and developed an amazing skill in the art of oil painting on canvas, creating many wonderful paintings on display throughout his home and studio, and as gifts to his many friends and relatives.
He was preceded in death by his father Eugene Winkler (Pop), his mother Mary Winkler, and is survived by his wife Sandra Winkler, daughter Shannon Bendixen and her husband Marcus Bendixen, their children Nora and Henrik, sister Bonnie Bommarito (Sam), brothers Michael Winkler (Elaine) and Randy Winkler (Terri), as well as his good friends and golf buddies Jonathan Parber, Tony Sherrer and Chuck Tobin.
There will be a memorial and celebration of his life, planned to be announced later in the Spring. Donations to the American Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated.