Martha Ilma Martin, 95

Martha Ilma Martin, 95, of Shelby, passed away at Marias Care Center in Shelby of natural causes on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Little Brown Church in Bigfork, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Lone Pine Cemetery in Bigfork. Schnider Funeral Home of Great Falls is handling arrangements.

She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Mayme and Ben Ober, Shelby; a brother, Kenneth Phillips, Colville, Wash.; and three grandchildren, Kasi Miller, Kristi Martin and Michael Martin.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 1972, and a son, Ronald Martin in 1996.

Martha was born Oct. 25, 1909, in Pekin, Ill., the daughter of Cyrus and Mayme (Shepard) Phillips. Martha did her graduate work at Ames, Iowa. She married Howard W. Martin at a little chapel at Presdio in San Francisco. She lived in San Francisco for a short time before moving to Washington, D.C.

After World War II, Howard and Martha were sent to Japan for three years before returning to the states.

In 1959, after retiring they moved to Swan Lake and started Martin's Peat and Potting Soil. The business still is in the family and is operated by her granddaughter, Kristi Martin.

She was an avid reader, a wonderful writer, writing for various newspapers and journals before moving to the Swan Lake. She once wrote a letter to US News & World Report and that program was used for 10 years.

She was known as the "mushroom lady," was a free spirit and kept in great communication with her congressmen.

Memorials are suggested to the Swan Lake Library, c/o Ann Morley, Swan Lake, MT or donor's choice.