Marty was born to Dennis and Dianne Habrock and raised in Emerson, NE with his siblings, older sister Jana, twin brother Monty and little brother Bary. Marty spent his youthful summers at the town pool, where he ended up meeting his future wife, and his mornings as one of the town’s amazing paper boys. His love of sports started young for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Braves. He was an amazing athlete for the Emerson-Hubbard Pirates where he played football, basketball, track and field and summer legion baseball.
Marty married the love of his life and the crazy to his calm, Christina Hassler, on May 1st, 1992. Together they built a good life in Lincoln, NE. He was a faithful and loyal husband for thirty years and together they checked off many “bucket-list items”, including seeing their favorite teams in Pittsburgh and Atlanta. But no other trips compared to his true heaven-on-earth, Boot Lake, Minnesota with his family.
His biggest pride and joy was his four children, Zachary, Noah, Haley and Grace. He always put his family first and wanted the best for each and every one of his children. He sacrificed so that his children could attend Catholic grade school and high school and supported and coached many sport’s teams throughout the years. He finally convinced Chris to get their fur baby, Chipper, in May of 2020, the dog he always wanted.
Marty truly believed in higher education and received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He dedicated his career supporting students and ensuring all students were able to attend college in the Financial Aid Office at UNL for 21 years and UNO as their Financial Aid Director for the last 7 years.
Throughout his life, he was a man of faith. He was kind and compassionate and a friend to all. In October 2020, he was faced with the hardest battle of his life, as he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Through it all, he was the most positive fighter. He had a great determination to continue to be with his family. He taught us that faith always outweighs our fears. His mentality to never give up and to keep fighting will inspire us for the rest of our lives. We ask that you wear one of Dad’s favorite team’s gear or colors to the Wake service Wednesday: Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Braves and Nebraska Huskers.
