Sister Mary MARTENSEN/Sister Mary Theodore

MARTENSEN, KOPPES, MAUSSER, BECK

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/18/2009 at 12:05:59

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA)
November 26, 2000

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Sister Mary Martensen, RSM, (formerly Sister Mary Theodore), 66, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000, in Queen of Angels Health Center, Sacred Heart Convent, Cedar Rapids, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Cedar Rapids, with the Rev. David Ambrosy officiating. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Friends may call after 2 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, where there will be a wake service at 7 p.m. Teahen Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids, is in charge of arrangements.

Sister taught school for nearly 40 years, including St. Patrick's, in Fairfax, St. John's and Sacred Heart, in Waterloo, St. John's, in Clarion, St. Benedict's, in Decorah, All Saints and St. Matthew's, in Cedar Rapids, and Columbus High School, in Waterloo. While teaching at Columbus, she received the 1990 Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching.

She was born on April 28, 1934, in Monticello, daughter of Theodore and Mercedes (Koppes) Martensen. She entered the Cedar Rapids Sisters of Mercy on Aug. 1, 1952, and professed perpetual vows on Feb. 2, 1958. Sister Mary graduated from Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, and took additional studies at St. Cloud State, San Jose State and the University of Northern Iowa. From 1994-95, Sister Mary did a housing internship through Mercy Housing, Inc., Denver, Colo. Since 1995, she had been affiliated with Heartland Housing, Dubuque, in a variety of capacities. At the time of her death, she was serving as manager of property operations. As recently as this past week, she was recognized by the city of Dubuque, for outstanding work in the area of affordable housing.

Besides the Sisters of Mercy, she is survived by three sisters, Betty (Joe) Mausser, of Bernard, Sister Rose Marie Martensen, of Jefferson, and Madonna Beck, of Davenport; two brothers, Vincent (Bernice) Martensen, of Dubuque, and Morgan (Ruth) Martensen, of Hazel Green, Wis.; and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be given to Sisters of Mercy, 1125 Prairie Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, and to Resident Services, Heartland Housing, 90 Main St., Dubuque, Iowa 52001-7644.