Martin Alfred Desjarlais Jr., age 53, of Belcourt, ND passed away on Monday, March 15, 2021 at Presentation Medical Center, Rolla, ND.

Martin Alfred Desjarlais Jr., also known as Son-Son, was the son of Martin Sr. and Mary (Wallette) Desjarlais.  He was raised in Belcourt and attended Turtle Mountain Community Schools.  He grew up with his sisters, Lisa and Alice, and his younger brothers, Myron, Mark, and Matthew.  Martin took his role as big brother to heart and taught his siblings many things about life.  He was their protector and friend.  While in high school, Son-Son was a natural athlete, excelling at many sports.  He achieved many awards in recognition of his outstanding athletic performances.  He was serious about sports.  Son-Son also got serious about other things during high school, like his middle school crush, Gail Beck.  Soon after, they were united in marriage.  Together they welcomed their only daughter and joy of their lives, Kirstin Skye, in 1989, ten days before their 1 ^st anniversary.  He was employed as a bus driver for the Turtle Mountain Community School system and made many friendships with students and staff over the years.  Martin and Gail spent their days tending to Kirstin and carting her around the states to various wrestling tournaments.

Son-son coached his daughter in wrestling and she won numerous national championships throughout her childhood.  He was incredibly proud when he coached her and she was the first female to win a wrestling match at the Bismarck Rotary Tournament.  Son-Son coached her through, she won, and jumped in his arms as the entire stadium stood in applause.  He was a well-known and respected wrestling coach and coached his family and many community members.  As Kirstin grew older, she started playing softball, and they attended lots of tournaments together.  Son-Son was so proud of his daughter's accomplishments as this was a very happy time in his life.  However, his proudest moment is when he became a "Papa" to his grandbabies as they were his pride and joy.  Martin enjoyed many hobbies.  Hunting, fishing, snowmobile racing, softball, golf, wrestling, darts, and playing basketball in the yard with his family, among other things.  He looked forward to every hunting season.  He was a great shot and had a knack for spotting game.  He would often joke to the family that he would give them discounts for his hunting guide services.  He made many great shots and always had the best hunting and fishing stories, the majority of which were true.  He might have snuck a few tall tales in from time to time; just ask Kirstin about his famous secret family recipe for chili he kept from her for years.  He loved racing snowmobiles and got his brothers and nephews into racing and fixing up their sleds as well.  Many fond memories were made on the ice.  Desjarlais racing team had many victories.  He also raced horses and loved sitting at the track shooting the bull with family and friends.  Son-Son always strived for excellence in everything he did, especially when it came to sports.  He loved working out and spent many hours in the gym training.  He won countless softball tourneys with his teams, the TM Thunder and Long-haul Bombers.  Son- son was a sure win when he entered any homerun contest.  Martin was one of the best hitters in the state, and he made it look easy.  He accomplished a lifelong goal when he won a gold medal at the 2002 Indigenous Games in Winnipeg Manitoba for freestyle wrestling.  Most recently, he loved playing darts with his family and friends and would travel all over to attend tournaments and benefits, winning many titles with his best cheerleader at his side, his grand-daughter Raeya.  He enjoyed playing golf every summer, fishing, late-night bonfires with red hot dogs, and the occasional cold one.  Most summer days, you could find him cruising the streets on his motorcycle or driving his truck with the windows rolled down, and tunes were blasting.

Martin is survived by his daughter, Kirstin (Jace) Azure of Belcourt, ND; grandchildren: Raeya, Rhylee, Reese and Jayctin Azure all of Belcourt, ND; siblings: Lisa Desjarlais of Rolla, ND,  Alice (Tony) Davis of Grand Forks, ND , Mark Desjarlais, Myron (Kristie) Desjarlais, Matthew ( Alison) Desjarlais all of Rolla, ND; nephew and nieces: Charles (Kaylynn) Desjarlais, Feona Desjarlais, John Ross Desjarlais, Mark (Shayna ) Desjarlais JR, Johnathan (Lacey) Desjarlais all of Belcourt, ND; Myron (Tehya) Desjarlais of Grand Forks, ND, Dustin (Bree) Longie of Rolla, ND;  Alisa (Brian) Desjarlais of Grand Forks, ND;  D'Naye (Jared) Desjarlais, Matthew Desjarlais JR, Mason Desjarlais, Amaya Desjarlais, Kevin Desjarlais of Belcourt, ND; Mary Desjarlais-Davis of Grand Forks, ND; Antonia Desjarlais of Belcourt, ND; aunts: Alice Davis of Belcourt, ND; David (Vickie) Wallette, Betty Desjarlais of Rolla, ND; Harold Wallette, Gerald Wallette of Fargo, ND; great aunt: Cecelia Graybill of Belcourt, ND with many other great nieces and nephews.  God son Sean Beck of Wichita, Kansas.

Martin was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Mary Desjarlais, God son and nephew Hunter Gaines, nephews, Michael, Apollo and Ryden Desjarlais, great grandmothers, Mary Wallette, Ruth Desjarlais, with many other relatives.

Reader is Carla Jean Wilkie.  Rosary led by Derrick Dixon.  Music by Jerry Parisien, Leonard Keplin, Ross Zaste, and Brennon Davis.  Urn Bearers are all Thunder Softball Team Members, Family Members, and Kirstin Skye.

Wake and Rosary Services will be held on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 6:30 PM at St. Ann's Catholic Church, Belcourt, ND.  Funeral Services will be held on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 10:00 AM at St. Ann's Catholic Church, Belcourt, ND.

Elick Funeral Home, Rolla, ND.