Buried in Tekamah Cemetery.

MARTHA M. ANTHONY

Funeral services were Monday, July 18, at Christ Community Church, Omaha, for Omaha resident Martha M. Anthony, 90. The Rev. Paul Gedden officiated. She died Wednesday, July 13, 2011, at Hospice House, Omaha.

She was born Feb. 4, 1921, in a log cabin on a farm near Millersburg, Mo., to Mearl E. and Minnie (Loftis) Anthony. Her birth was attended by a midwife. She had one brother, Clayton, six years older.

When she was about a year old, her parents moved to a farm in Nebraska. Traveling in a 1918 Ford Model T touring car, it took two days to reach their destination. Their belongings, which consisted of some furniture, one cow, two mules and a dog, were shipped in a railroad car. Two neighbor boys also rode in the railroad car to keep track of their possessions. When old enough to go to kindergarten, Martha rode horseback at times with her brother to get to a two-room country grade school. One room consisted of kindergarten through sixth grade and the other room took care of the seventh through 10th grades.

When she was six years old, in the first grade, she became very ill after the first week of school. Because of this illness, diagnosed as polio, she spent the rest of her life in full leg braces and on crutches. She missed about three years of schooling.

Martha managed to complete the grades she missed by much study and taking many tests, and graduated from the eighth grade. During this period of time, she was in and out of the hospital many times but she was determined to get her education. While attending high school, she sang in the Glee Club and graduated in four years from Herman High School in Herman, Neb., and later from Commercial Extension Business College in Omaha. Martha lived for several years at Augustana Home for Women and made lifelong friends.

She was employed by several companies in Omaha as a clerical worker and finally found a job she really liked and found very interesting, keeping statistics for the police department on crimes, robberies, traffic tickets, etc. At first this was all done by hand and the last years on computers. After 23 years, she retired as a city employee in the Omaha City Police Department.

Martha was able to travel to many parts of the United States. She made all her own clothes. She loved to sew, quilt and craft. She attended The Omaha Gospel Tabernacle in the early days and followed it west as it became Christ Community Church. She loved her church and church family.

Preceding her in death were her parents; and brother and sister-in-law, Clayton and Margaret Anthony.

Survivors include a nephew, Fred Anthony of Omaha; nieces, Marcia (Anthony) Roland Sommerer of Omaha and Judy Anthony of Ralston; two great-nieces; two great-nephews; many great-great-nieces and nephews.

Burial was at Tekamah Cemetery, Tekamah, Neb.

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/11/2011

ANTHONY, MARTHA M. Feb. 4, 1921 – Jul. 13, 2011

90 years. Of Omaha, NE.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE Monday, July 18, 11 am at Christ Community Church, 404 South 108th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68154.

VISITATION with family receiving friends Monday at the church 1 hour prior to Service. Burial Tekamah Cemetery, Tekamah, NE.

PELAN FUNERAL SERVICES TEKAMAH, Tekamah, NE 402-374-1551