Martha (Marty) Aho (1917-2006)

AHO, SEVEREID, THOMAS, MILLS, WELTHA

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 7/29/2007 at 00:24:28

The Story City Herald, Wednesday, July 26, 2006.

Martha (Marty) Aho passed away May 11, 2006 at age 89. Born March 16, 1917 in Radcliffe, she graduated from Roland High School in 1934, Waldorf College in 1936, and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Seattle Pacific College in 1950. She married Arnold Aho June 21, 1951 in Renton, Washington and lived there for 55 years.

She began teaching in Iowa at age 19 and continued there for 10 years. Following her family to the Pacific Northwest in 1946, she began her career with the Renton School District where she taught for 32 years In 1964, while still at Renton S.D., she met Beth Slingerland, of the Slingerland Institute, who was developing an approach to teach dyslexic children to successfully learn to read, write and spell. She quickly became very active with the Institute, committing summers and all her spare time to its work. Many summers she directed teacher training sessions in this method Upon retiring from Renton S.D. she devoted her full-time efforts to her work with the Institute. Later Marty was chosen as Mrs. Slingerland's professional heir and was also named Dean Emeritus of the Institute. In her retirement she continued to consult with members of the Institute and helped promote this work until her passing.

Marty highly prized all of her extended family and her friends and colleagues. She was always remarkably generous in helping others and was particularly inspired to help those in need of overcoming learning disabilities. Marty will be fondly remembered by her family and her many friends, colleagues, and students whose lives she touched so lovingly.

She was preceded in death by infant son Mark and husband Arnold, parents Hans and Sophia Severeid, brothers Burton and Selmer Severeid, and sisters June Thomas and Carolyn Mills.
She is survived by brothers Harold Severeid of Sequim, Washington and Donald (LaVonne) Severeid of Puyallup, Washington and sister Bernice (Reuben) Weltha of Granbury, Texas. She is also survived by nine nieces, eight nephews, 19 great-nieces, 10 great-nephews, four great-great nieces, and five great-great-nephews.

A memorial service was held Saturday, June 3, 2006, at Renton Lutheran Church, Renton, Washington. Remembrances and memorial donations may be directed to the Slingerland Institute for Literacy, One Bellevue Center, 411 108th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004.