Grace Louise Martens

Grace Martens, age 100, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Garretson, passed away on Saturday, March 03, 2007 at Dow-Rummel Village in Sioux Falls. Funeral services will begin at 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at the United Church of Garretson. Burial will be in the Summit Hill Cemetery, rural Garretson. Visitation with the family present will be from 6-8:00 pm Tuesday at the Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson. A Memorial service will also begin at 10:30 A.M. Thursday, March 8, 2007 at the Halladay-Peterson Chapel at Dow Rummel in Sioux Falls.

Grace was born November 12, 1906 in Scotland, South Dakota to parents Henry and Fayetta (Dorman) Hess. She grew up in Scotland and graduated from Scotland High School. She then graduated from the second class of nurses at Sioux Valley in 1933. She worked as a special nurse at the DeVall Hospital in Garretson for several years.

Grace married Ditrich Martens on December 27, 1933 in Garretson. She lived and farmed with her husband in the Garretson area. Ditrich died April 6, 1983. She later moved into Garretson where she lived for ten years before moving to Dow Rummel in May of 1997.

Grace was a long time active member of the United Church of Garretson. She enjoyed playing pinochle, tatting, and crocheting for all her family and friends.

Grateful for having shared her life are her son, Darrel Martens and his wife, Carmen, Sioux Falls; three grandchildren, Rick (Jill) Smook, Sioux Falls; Tim (Barb) Smook, Spirit Lake, Iowa; Jayna (Dick) Elgin, Columbus, Ohio; seven great grandchildren; four great great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, three brothers and six sisters.