Martin P Kloet of Peoria, and a longtime resident of Washington, IL passed away on February 16, 2022, at Buehler Home in Peoria.

Martin was born on April 25, 1925, in Minneapolis, MN, to the late Peter and Berdina (Van Donsel) Kloet.  He grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1943.  Throughout his life he treasured his neighborhood buddies, affectionately called the "Alley Rats".  He enjoyed regaling his family with tales of their adventures.  Martin also had a lifelong love for music.  He was an accomplished French horn player and he had a strong interest in listening to a variety of music, which he did right up until his passing.

Immediately after high school, Martin joined the Army Air Force and served among the brave bombers in the European theater during WWII.  Following the war, he attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1949.

Martin married Rosemary Devitt on June 18, 1949, in Shieldsville, MN.  They were married for 72 years before her passing on July 7, 2021.  A week after their wedding, the young couple moved to the Peoria area, as Martin took an engineering position at Caterpillar.

His career at Caterpillar took the family to Brussels, Belgium for five years and he had several senior positions at Caterpillar, most notably in quality control.  Martin was a CAT man through and through.

Martin and Rosemary lived in Washington for some 67 years and loved living in the West Lake community.  They also spent over 25 years wintering in Green Valley, AZ.  They enjoyed many great times with friends and neighbors.

Martin was an avid golfer.  Some of his fondest memories were the times he spent with his golf buddies on the course and at the 19 ^th hole particularly at Pine Lakes Golf Club.  He retired from playing at the age of 91.  He was also involved in several community activities, most notably on the school board of St John's International School in Brussels and the Board of West Lake Community in Washington.  Martin was a devout Catholic and longtime parishioner at St Patrick Church in Washington.

Martin is survived by two sons: Peter (Mary) of Naples, FL, Tom (Margaret) of Bluffton, SC and a daughter-in-law, Mary Kloet of Bettendorf, IA.  He is also survived by four grandchildren:  Kathleen (Brian) Jacobs of New Market, MD, Paul of Omaha, NE, Mark (Debbie) of Geneva, IL and Megan (James) Gill of Elmhurst, IL and by seven great-grandchildren: Carly, Luke, Andrew and Noel Jacobs, Connor and Reed Kloet and Peter Gill.  He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Joyce Devitt of Burnsville, MN, and his nieces and nephews.  Besides Rosemary and his parents, Martin is also predeceased by a beloved son, John and siblings Jenny and William.

A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, February 21 at 10:30am at St Patrick Church in Washington.  Visitation will be held at the church starting at 10am.  Burial will be at Glendale Cemetery in Washington.  Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington is assisting the family with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Martin's name may be made to the Father Schubert or Sister Mary Ann Endowment at St Patrick Church.