Martin Binder went home to be with the Lord on August 2, 2017 in Pinetop, Az. He was born in Kirchberg, Transylvania, Romania on May 26, 1922 to Martin and Eva Binder. He grew up learning the carpentry trade from his father. He had a childhood sweetheart, Katharina Low and assumed they would one day marry. World War II came along and he was conscripted into the German army and saw service all over Europe. As the war was ending his unit was captured by the Russians, he and a few of his fellow soldiers managed to escape and they looked for Americans to surrender to and they were successful. After the war he was working outside of Regensburg and had met someone else, but he wrote home though to ask if there was any word of Katharina. It turned out she had been released by the Russians and was in a little town not far from him. They were reunited and married and immigrated to the United States in 1949. They settled in Yuma where his aunt Maria Ehrlich lived. He worked various jobs and ended up creating Martin's Cabinetry and Millworks. He retired in 1987 and lost his beloved wife Katie the same year. He spent the next 30 years wintering in Yuma and the summers in Pinetop where he greatly enjoyed fishing.

He was preceded in death by wife Katharina, brother Andreas Binder and sister Anna Theiss. He is survived by his sons Hans (Renate) Zierer of Munich Germany, Richard (Stephanie) Binder of Yuma and daughter Patricia (Kevin) Dooley of Show Low; grandchildren: Scott Binder, Florian Zierer, Veronica Guldner-Zierer, Antonia Zierer, Maximillan Zierer, Tricia Derr; and great-grandchildren Micah, Jacob, Thomas, Zachary, Nathan, Jakob, Rebekka and Hannah.

A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, August 9 at Christ Lutheran Church at 2555 Engler Ave at 12:00pm with interment to follow at Desert Lawn Memorial Park.

Suggested memorial donations may be made to Christ Lutheran Church in Yuma or Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church in Pinetop.

Desert Valley Mortuary in Yuma is handling the arrangements.