Martha Bishop

Martha Bishop was a woman with a powerful love for everything around her, for all God's creation, from the roses in her garden, to the pets in her home, to the family that filled her life with such joy. She was a devoted daughter, sister, and wife, and a deeply loving mother and grandmother, whose life and love grows in their hearts today.

Martha's story began in the bustling city of Grand Rapids in 1917, a time of such turmoil in this country. The dark skies of World War I thundered overseas, as the hardships of war were felt so deeply here at home. The year 1917 was a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, yet on October 21, Luther and Louise (Ferriss) Vincent found reason for hope, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Martha Jane.

Martha was the oldest of three girls in the family, joining younger sisters Dora and Ruth in their Grand Rapids home. Though the three girls were very different from each other, they were exceptionally close growing up, and loved their parents dearly. Martha attended Henry Elementary, and later Creston High School. She made several very close friends at Creston, and would attend every class reunion the rest of her days.

Sadly, when she was just 16 years old, Martha's father died, affecting her and her family deeply. She and her dad were very close, and he fostered her great love for nature and the outdoors. Her mother was very strong for the family, and raised the girls alone during the teeth of the Great Depression, teaching them if they stuck together, they could remain self-sufficient. Being the oldest, Martha was called upon to help a great deal, and she was responsible for the family cooking.

After she graduated from Creston, Martha found work as a housekeeper for a time. Then one day she met a handsome young man named Merl Bishop, and her life would change for the better. The two quickly fell in love, and were married about 1940, before the hardships of World War II found our shores.

Martha and Merl were blessed with four wonderful children in the coming years, with daughter Martha, and sons, Keith and Jim, coming right away and daughter Irene rounding out the family nine years later. The family made their happy home in a lovely house on Ashland in Grand Rapids, where they formed so many wonderful memories in the next 60 years there.

The Bishops were a very tight-knit clan, and did so many things together. Every summer they took annual camping trips, venturing around the state and Upper Peninsula with their Army-sized tent, where Martha instilled her love of nature in her family. Those trips were very important to them, and especially to Martha, and she made sure they went, even when Merl had to nurse the car along to get there!

Of course, Martha enjoyed any opportunity to be in the great outdoors, and her love for nature was legendary. She took her children on springtime nature walks each year, pointing out the various flowers, plants, trees and animals, impressing them with her knowledge, and impressing upon them her love for nature. The family would regularly drive to Merl's family in Lake Odessa to see his parents, and Martha would fill the ride with facts about all the nature they passed on the way. Martha never stopped learning about the natural world, and was fascinated by animals of all kinds. She always loved going to zoos, and recently her favorite TV channel was Animal Planet, naturally.

Though Merl never liked pets, he eventually relented, and Martha and the kids turned their home into a magical menagerie. Led by Martha and Irene, they had beloved dogs named Sassy, Cindy and Katie, in addition to the many cats, birds, snakes and ferrets! At one point they had 20 pets in their home!

As much as she loved nature and wildlife, Martha loved her family most of all. She was an amazing mother, grandmother and even great-grandmother, who possessed incredible maternal instincts. She was also a very integral part of her children's lives, and was a leader in their Campfire Girls. She allowed them to be children, needing only to give them a stern look to settle down. Martha was also an amazing cook, whose incredible apple pie is impossible to duplicate.

Sadly, her beloved Merl died in 1979, which forced her to become more self-sufficient. She had to depend on others a bit more as she had never learned to drive, and also learned to do more things around the home. She persevered, through her own strength and the help of her family. Later on, she traveled out to California to visit Irene, a wonderful, two-month trip to San Diego, where she took a cruise, visited the famous zoo and went whale watching, too.

Martha was a wonderful grandmother, as well, and her maternal instincts took over whenever she was around them. She loved babies, in particular, and her great-grandchildren brought her such joy.

So many things brought Martha joy. She was a rather quiet, caring person, who found happiness in life's simple pleasures, from concerts and musicals, to her soap operas on TV, to the friendship she found at her church. Martha was a longtime member of the Second Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, since she was a young girl, a place that meant much to her over the years. She took her children there, and made lifelong friends with the women in that church, even gathering for monthly lunches with them.

Martha was a lady of such strong character and values, who taught her children to be fine people in their own right. She lived her life frugally, and taught her kids that people are more important than any material possessions, and often sacrificed for their well-being. Sadly, Martha died December 24, 2006, at the age of 89.

Martha was a woman with a great love of everything around her, of all God's creation, who truly saw the beauty and the importance in nature. Martha taught us that above all, nature is a gift, a gift to be enjoyed, loved, and appreciated. Just like she was. She will be greatly missed.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Merl; her son Keith Bishop; sisters Dora Murphy and Ruth Warn, and by her daughter-in-law Marilyn Bishop. Martha is survived by her children, Martha (Arthur) Dawson, Jim Bishop, Irene (Charles) Skala; daughter-in-law Sharon Bishop; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Funeral service will be held on Thursday at 11 AM at Second Congregational Church. Interment in Rosedale Memorial Park. Relatives and friends are invited to meet with her family on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Van Strien Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE. For those who wish, memorial contributions to the Humane Society of Kent County are appreciated. To read more about Martha's life, to share a favorite photo or memory or to sign the online register, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.