Petrak, Martha 1933-2012

PETRAK, FIELD, RAY, SCHEIE

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 3/22/2021 at 11:14:30

Martha Petrak
1933 - 2012
Seattle, Washington

Martha Petrak, of Seattle, Washington, died peacefully in her sleep on January 29, 2012. She was 78 years old, and spent her final hours surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Marty was born in Ottumwa in 1933, as the second child of Joseph Harper Field and Martha Helen Ray. She graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1951, and from Iowa State University in 1955. After marrying later that year, Marty lived briefly in Naperville, Illinois, then returned to live most of her life in Des Moines.

Marty worked for the ISU Extension Service as a home economist, where she was honored with the certification of Master Gardener. She loved the Craftsman bungalow near Drake University that she bought in 1977, and poured heart and soul into it for 31 years as she created an immaculate flower garden that encompassed the entire property. Marty moved to Seattle in 2008 to be near several of her children and grandchildren, but remained fiercely proud of her home state of Iowa. She enjoyed singing in her local church choir, and relished in her ability to recite and sing the third, fourth or fifth verses of even the most obscure hymn or song from the '30s or '40s.

Marty is preceded in death by her parents, siblings Joe and Donna, and eldest son John. She is survived by her children Mary, Keith and Mark, the boys' wives Patricia and Elizabeth, four grandchildren Zoe, Max, Finn, and Kyra, and John's long time companion Eric Scheie.

Marty will be remembered on Sunday, February 5, at First United Methodist Church in Seattle. A memorial service is planned for June in Iowa, when Marty will return home. For the full obituary and information about remembrances and the Iowa memorial, go to her obituary posted on the Peoples Memorial Funeral Cooperative (funeralscoop.org).

To plant trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

MEMORIAL EVENTS

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To offer your sympathy during this difficult time, you can now have memorial trees planted in a National Forest in memory of your loved one. ~ The Des Moines (IA) Tribune 05 Feb 2012.