Martin, Ida Pearl Kauffman (1880-1955)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1955 Nov 10 p. 8

Birth date: 1880 Oct 21

text of obituary:

IDA PEARL MARTIN

Ida Pearl Martin, Jackson, Minn., was born Oct. 21, 1880, at Garden City, Mo. She was one of six children of Stephen and Mary (King) Kauffman. Since the death of her brother, Dave, in 1954, she was the last surviving member of her immediate family.

In her youth she accepted Christ as her personal Saviour and became a member of the Sycamore Grove Mennonite Church near Garden City, Mo. She transferred her membership to the Fairview Mennonite Church near Surrey, North Dakota, in 1916, where she was a member at the time of her death.

She was united in marriage on Oct. 13, 1901, to Ben E. martin, at Garden City, Mo., who preceded her in death on July 15, 1944. Until 1916 they lived in that community, and then moved to Minot, North Dakota, where they lived on a fairm until they retired in 1941. Since July, 1953 she had been living near her daughter, Mrs. Ed Hartzler, in the Jackson community.

This marriage was blessed with eight children, of whom six are living. They are Earl, of Minot; Mary (Mrs. Ed Hartzler), of Jackson; Ruby (Mrs. Ira T. Zook), La Tour, Mo.; Bertha (Mrs Homer Gresser), Wooster, Ohio; Emma (Mrs. Lyle E. Yost), Hesston, Kansas; and Glenn, Denver, Colo. she also leaves 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Two grandchildren preceded her in death.

On Sept. 17, 1955, she was stricken with a heart attack in her home, where she was a patient until Oct. 5. She was taken to the Halloran Hospital in Jackson, where she was called to her eternal home on Oct. 14, just seven days before her 75th birthday. In the last weeks of her life her prayers always included thanks and praise that her children and grandchildren loved the Lord. During her illness she manifested a live testimony of the nearness of Christ. Her constant prayer was that she could be with him in heaven.

Bro. Noah Landis and Bro. Chris Garber had charge of services held at the Alpha Mennonite Church, near Jackson, Minn., on Oct. 16. Her body was taken to North Dakota where services in charge of Eli Hochstetler, John Stoll and Josef Herschowitz were held on Oct. 18 at the Fairview Mennonite Church. Rev. 14:13 was used for a text. All of her immediate family attended both services. Burial was made in the Fairview Cemetery.