Martha V. Williams (1919-2002)

WILLIAMS, COMBS, DUNAGAN, PFEIFER, HOFFMAN, MURPHY

Posted By: volunteer transcriber
Date: 4/24/2015 at 13:39:43

Martha V. Williams, 83, of Oskaloosa, died Wednesday, October 16, 2002, at the Mahaska Hospital in Oskaloosa. She was born October 6, 1919 at Wilder, Idaho, the daughter of Francis and Mary Combs Dunagan. She and her mother moved to Pierre, South Dakota, and Martha graduated from the Pierre High School in 1937. She received a B.A. degree in 1942 from Dakota Wesleyan College, and a Masters degree from the University of Denver in 1945. While attending Iliff Theological Seminary, she met and married Robert Williams at Silver City, South Dakota on June 11, 1946. Following their marriage, they moved to Iowa where Bob pastored churches of the Upper Iowa Conference, while Martha taught at Upper Iowa University at Fayette. Later, she taught high school English, Speech, and Drama at Goldfield, Cylinder, and Terril, Iowa. After retiring, they owned and operated Williams Rustic Resort on Lost Island Lake near Ruthven, Iowa. During winter months, they taught at Lydia Patterson in El Paso, Texas for eight years, and also volunteered time at the Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. Rev. Williams died in 1995. In 1997, she moved to Oskaloosa and she was an active member of the Central United Methodist Church, and was a volunteer tutor for the Indian Hills Community College literacy program, and received the Governor's Volunteer Award for Literacy in 1998. She enjoyed writing poems and was published in Lyrical Iowa. Martha wrote many encouraging letters and e-mails to friends and family.
Martha is survived by a son: Paul R. Williams of Terril, Iowa; a daughter and her husband: Carolyn R. and David Pfeifer of Oskaloosa; two grandsons: Andrew Pfeifer and Mathew (& Christine) Pfeifer, and their son, Daniel; a sister: Joann Hoffman of Spearfish, South Dakota; and a brother in law: Jim (& Connie) Williams of Topeka, Kansas; and several nieces and nephews.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; three half brothers: Tom, Leslie, and Willis Dunagan; and a half sister: Marian Alice Dunagan Murphy.
Funeral services for Martha Williams will be held Saturday, October 19, 2002, at 11 a.m. in the Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa, with the Reverend Robert Dean officiating. Cremation will follow the funeral ceremony. Visitation will begin at the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa on Friday after 12 Noon, and the family will be at the funeral chapel on Friday from 6:30 - 8 p.m. to greet friends and relatives. Memorials may be given to either the Red Bird Mission of Kentucky, or Indian Hills Community College Literacy Program.

(from The Oskaloosa Herald, Oskaloosa, Iowa)