Martha Hadley (1978)
DEINES, HADLEY, HENSHAW, NELLIS
Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 12/9/2008 at 10:19:53
Earlham Echo
Earlham, Iowa
Thursday, January 19, 1978Martha Hadley was born May 23, 1889 to Charles and Almeda Hadley in South Dakota, and as a child she came to Iowa in a covered wagon. After a few years her family settled permanently in Earlham and surrounding community. Here Martha grew up and spent most of her life. She was a graduate of Earlham Academy and for a time attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa. For a number of years she taught in local and semi-local country schools until she was forced to retire and care for her aging parents. She was a birthright member of the Friends Church, serving in the Earlham Friends Church on Ministry and Counsel and teaching Sunday School for a number of years. She gave untiringly of herself for the Ladies Aid and also the Missionary Society. One of the most outstanding of things Martha did was the many quilts, booties and other pieces of handiwork she made for Lugulu Health Centre in Kenya and other institutions. She was one of the charter members of the old Queen Esther Sunday School class.
Martha was interested in community activities and at the time of her death was treasurer of Earlham Historical Society.
In 1943 she and Elizabeth Maxwell established the Hadwell Angora Rabbitry and ran a successful business until the close of World War II. During this period she and her sister, Amy, lived with Elizabeth Maxwell with Amy doing most of the housekeeping. After her sister’s death, she again made her home with Elizabeth and was there until her final illness.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, two sisters, Lora Henshaw and Amy Hadley. She leaves to mourn her passing, a nephew, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nellis of Dixon, Illinois, and a niece, Mrs. Esther Deines of Newhall, California, and several great nieces and nephews and her life long friend, Elizabeth Maxwell.
Note: Burial was made in the Earlham cemetery.
Gravesite
Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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