Margaret E. Martens, age 98, formerly of Swedona, died Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at Friendship Manor, Rock Island.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 20, at Swedona Lutheran Church. Visitation was held Saturday, June 19, at Kirk, Huggins & Esterdahl Funeral Home, Ltd., Orion. Burial was in Swedona Lutheran Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to her family for a fund to be established.
Margaret was born September 8, 1911, in Gothenburg, Neb., the daughter of Paul and Grace (Siemering) Poggendorf. She married Fred Charles Martens on November 2, 1935, in Gothenburg. He preceded her in death on November 17, 2007.
Margaret taught school in a one-room school house. She was a member of Swedona Lutheran Church, where she was also a member of the WELCA circle and the church council, and a Sunday school teacher.
Margaret was very involved with the Mercer County Home Extension. She made and decorated special-occasion cakes for friends and family.
Margaret loved doing crafts, and she and Dad made Christmas gifts for every member of the family.
She is survived by her children, LaVone (Robert) Carver of Milan, Wayne (Sandra) Martens of Fayetteville, Ga., Martha (Ronald) Peterson of Bettendorf, Eugene (Shirley) Martens of Roanoke, Ala., and Harold “Marty” (Cindy) Martens of Orion; son-in-law, Calvin Falk of Hillsdale; 19 grandchildren; 41 great grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; sister-in-law, Frances Poggendorf of Kenosha, Wis.; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Walter and Erma Martens of Reynolds; and sister-in-law, Dorothy Hedquist of Deer River, Minn.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Carol Jean Falk; a grandson, Kevin Carver; seven sisters; and two brothers.
