Bethel man who built Wonder Woman museum dies at 87

Pete Marston, 84, has created a museum in his home with his extensive collection of Wonder Woman items. His father William Moulton Marston, created Wonder Woman, which was first published by DC Comics. Marston and his collection are photographed in his Bethel, Conn. home Friday, May 2, 2014. less Pete Marston, 84, has created a museum in his home with his extensive collection of Wonder Woman items. His father William Moulton Marston, created Wonder Woman, which was first published by DC Comics. Marston ... more Photo: Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff Photo: Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Bethel man who built Wonder Woman museum dies at 87 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

BETHEL—Moulton “Pete” Marston, a retired real estate broker who turned his collection of Wonder Woman memorabilia into a world-renowned “museum,” died Wednesday at 87.

The DC Comics superhero was created by Marton’s father, William Moulton Marston, in the early 1940s, when Pete Marston was a teenager.

Pete’s daughter, Christine Holland, said he always loved the character and collected Wonder Woman memorabilia, but not until the advent of the internet did the collection really begin to grow.

“In 1999, Dad discovered eBay,” Holland said. “There were always little odds and ends, but the hardcore collection really began there.”

Eventually the collection, housed in the family’s Bethel home, included nearly 4,000 items: dolls, plaques, pennants, pillows, lamps, coffee mugs and so on. Holland oversaw the collection and ran a Wonder Woman website.

But the internet didn’t just help Marston build his collection; it also connected him with Wonder Woman fans around the world. Soon, fans and collectors Holland talked to online were flying in from all over to visit the museum and talk to Marston.

“He really enjoyed meeting people and talking to them,” said another daughter, Carolyn Marston. “He enjoyed sharing the story of it with others.”

Marston’s museum has had visitors from Australia, Britain, the Philippines, Spain and all over the United States. Holland says many visitors came bearing gifts from their own collections, and still others sent items to add to Marston’s.

What kept Marston interested in the comic book heroine was the connection to his parents, Carolyn Marston said.

“My grandmother, his mother, was the model for the character,” Carolyn said. “I really think that had a lot to do with his attraction [to Wonder Woman]—who it represented to him.”

Bethel Funeral Home will receive friends of the family from 12 p.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at 215 Greenwood Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations in his memory be sent to the Bethel Police Benevolent Association (PBA), P.O. Box 169, Bethel CT 06801.