Healy, Martina "Tina" 1927-2014

HEALY, LYVERS, FRIEDERICH

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 2/5/2014 at 10:58:05

Martina “Tina” Healy of Ames, formerly a long-time resident of Newton, passed away Jan. 25, 2014 from a sudden illness. She was 86 years old. Services will be on Friday, Feb. 7, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 2210 Lincoln Way, Ames. Visitation will be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. followed by a rosary at 2:30 p.m. with a funeral mass at 3 p.m.

Tina was born Sept. 1, 1927 to Martin and Mary Elizabeth Lyvers in Creve Coeur, Mo. She was the youngest of six children, who all preceded her in death. Tina moved with her family when she was 10 years old from the St. Louis area to Monterey, Calif. Her mother, Elizabeth, though not a musician herself, required all of her children to play instruments. Tina and her sister, Bernadine, were prodigious musicians who turned professional when Tina was 14. Tina and her sister taught guitar and banjo and performed regularly at USO events during the years of World War II. More than once, they were called to “open” on the big-band stage for “Les Brown and His Band of Renown.”

On Oct. 20, 1951, Tina married Paul L. Healy in Monterey, Calif. Paul was then stationed at the Army School of Language at the Presidio. After his service and discharge, they made their home in his hometown of Newton. Tina worked as a radio announcer for station KCOB and was a switchboard operator for Parsons Company, both in Newton.

She earned her pilot’s license in 1955 and shortly thereafter became president of the Iowa Chapter of the “99’s’’, the International Organization of Women Pilots (at a time when female pilots were relatively few).

In 1967, Tina was hired as an assistant manager of the newly built Holiday Inn in Newton. In the years following, she became general manager of that hotel and successively, GM of several other hotel properties in the state of Iowa, before retiring in 1997. After retirement, she traveled extensively before moving to Ames, where she had lived for the past eight years.

She has three children, Bryan Healy, Christopher Healy and Paula (Healy) Friederich. Her daughters-in-law are Cindy Healy, Barbara Healy and her son-in-law is James Friederich. She also has ten grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

We will all miss her. She made us all better.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the “Love Your Neighbor” fund at St. Thomas Aquinas, a charity which provides direct, temporary financial assistance to local families in need or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Adams Funeral Home in Ames is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and photos may be shared at www.adamssoderstrum.com. ~ The Newton (IA) Daily News.