Martha Heald
December 4, 1929 ~ March 25, 2016
Martha Ann Heald, 86, of Lisbon, died on Friday, March 25, 2016, at Hallmark Care Center. Memorial Services: 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at the Lisbon United Methodist Church, Lisbon, by Rev. Tom Mattson. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial: Lisbon Cemetery. Arrangements are with Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon.
Survivors include nephew, Ronald (Rita) Bigger; nieces, Judy Askew and Chris (Eric) Larsen; and many great and great-great nieces and nephews.
Martha was born December 4, 1929, in Lisbon, the daughter of Dr. Ed and Jennie (Gunderman) Bigger. She was a graduate of Lisbon High School and Emporia College, and was a teacher for Erskine Elementary School in Cedar Rapids. Martha was an avid Bridge and bingo player and loved her many pets. She was a member of the Lisbon United Methodist Church, ISEA, NEA, Eastern Star, and the American Legion Auxiliary.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Harry (Polly) Bigger; and sister, Ethel Mae (Harold) Kent.
Memorials may be directed to the Lisbon United Methodist Church.
A very special thank you to the nurses and staff at Hallmark Care Center and Essence of Life Hospice for their care and compassion.
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Condolences to Ms Held’s family. I was nurtured well by Ms Held in her 4th grade class at Erskine Elementary School 1970-71. She was a generous teacher yet commanded high standards. I’ll always remember her taking a half-hour every day to read aloud to the class. It became meditation for me. God bless you. Steve Ginsberg
Martha Ann befriended my mom soon after she joined the Hallmark family. Her quick wit and sense of humor quickly made us comfortable and helped us learn the day to day routine in the care center. She and my mom giggled like school girls every day. I learned to get out of their way on Bingo days because the had to get there early to get the best cards. Oh how they loved to win and their rooms were filled with the stuffed animals given to the champions of the day. They enjoyed hearing about the goings on of Mount Vernon and Lisbon and they often knew more about the locals than me. They were very fussy about who sat at their table and they’d better be able to keep up with the conversation. They loved the challenge of finding words in their word find books, as long as they weren’t too hard. I miss them both and I’m sure they are still racing for the best cards on Bingo day in heaven. Carry on Martha Ann.
This is such sad news…Martha Ann was such a sweet lady and such a wonderful roommate for my mother-in-law Mary. She had such a fun personality and will surly be missed by all! Our Deepest Sympathies to her entire family! RIP Martha Ann…..
To Martha’s family:
I was so surprised to see Martha in the Gazette. Many many years ago I did my student teaching with her at Erskine in 4th grade – 1973:) I had a wonderful experience and learned much from her. I went on to sub & teach in the Cedar Rapids Schools for over 40 years. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Sandy Lewis
I had the pleasure of being nurtured by Ms Heald in the 80s. She was a respected teacher and took the time with students, that I now realize was so precious. One of a kind teacher, one of a kind friend, that wanted the best for all, and pushed each student to their potential. May she rest in peace.
Tonia
We were sorry to hear of Martha Ann’s passing. We want to send our condolences to her family. Donna and her were classmates. She was very faithful to come out to church at Hallmark when we were in charge of the services.
Ken and Donna McConaughy
Martha will be missed by my Mom who was a friend of hers at Hallmark. She was such a wonderful person. Always full of fun and mischief. She brightened up my Mom’s days. She loved being at her table for bingo. We will all miss her.
It has been 35 years since I had the pleasure of being in one of Mrs. Heald’s classes at Erskine Elementary. I was recently reminded of a reading tree, a large cardboard tower that was colored to look like tree bark, where kids would go to read books in her classroom.
She was always a very pleasant lady to be around and I am sorry for the loss of her family and friends.