Martha Wheelock

You couldn't help but have a good time around Martha Wheelock. She had a wonderful laugh, a great sense of humor and a good time wherever she went.

Martha was born to Floyd and Lutie (Wilcox) Mosser on November 28, 1921. She was their first child. In time, Martha became the big sister to Maxine and Alice. While the girls were busy growing up and going to school, Floyd worked as a trolley car operator. Lutie worked too. She was an employee at McInerney Spring and Wire Company. The family lived on Coit Avenue NE on the northeast side of Grand Rapids, Michigan. During Martha's teen years her parents went through a divorce. It was a difficult time for Martha but she was able to continue her schooling at Central High School through the tenth grade. She found comfort in the time she had visiting with her grandmother, Bertha Mosser, in Portland, Michigan, which was just east of Grand Rapids.

Martha became good friends with her cousins, Toot and Ray. She was a good friend for Ray because he was always playing practical jokes and Martha took them in stride. Once Ray wired up the side door to his car so that when Martha grabbed the handle it gave her an electric shock. She still talked to him after that. Actually, she laughed it off and was ready for their next adventure. Like many young ladies of that time, the weekend dances at the local dance hall was usually on Martha's itinerary. She spent her days babysitting for a few families in the area and her weekend nights gliding gracefully across the dance floor.

For a little while, Harold Wheelock was dating Martha's younger sister, Alice. It was really Martha he was interested in and eventually he found an opportunity to ask her out. Once they began dating, Martha and Harold fell in love. They knew they had found the one they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with and so they planned to marry. In the home of his mother, Gertrude Grill. Martha and Harold were married by a minister on October 23, 1943.

The young couple found an apartment on Scribner Avenue and later moved to an apartment on 2nd Street. They bought their first home at 719 Veto NW and in 1963 bought a home at 872 Collindale NW where they lived until 1994 when they then moved to Montague. On July 1, 1945, Martha and Harold joyously welcomed their firstborn, a daughter they named Nancy. Seven years later, on August 7, 1952, their son Robert completed the family. Harold worked for a time at Kelvinator's before he joined Light Metals where he worked until retirement. The kids were schooled at Lexington Elementary and Bob also went to Shawmut Elementary. They both graduated from Union High School. While the children were growing up, family vacations were important to the Wheelocks. When the kids were real young, the family would rent a cottage on Slayton Lake and once they were a little older, they took bigger trips. They traveled to almost every state, staying overnight at motels along the way and pulling over at roadside parks to picnic with their cooler and camp stove. Sometimes they would just head on over to Grand Haven to spend the day at the beach.

At home, Martha was a wonderful cook. She made the best chicken, biscuits and gravy, muffins, cakes, pies, cookies and turkey dressing. The family favorites were always the molasses cookies and turkey dressing. Marsha loved reading ladies magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies Home Journal. She would spend time figuring out word search puzzles and enjoyed the courtroom drama of Judge Judy. Listening to Big Band music and Gospel was always a treat for Martha. She also took great pride in tending to her precious roses and especially loved being around little children. Martha's neighbor ran a day care and Martha soon found herself over there working. The children grew very attached to her and she eventually decided to run her own daycare, which brought her great joy for years. She had two precious grandchildren of her own that she bonded with and four wonderful great grandchildren. Martha adored them all, never missing their birthdays, graduations or any other special events in their lives.

In 1992, Harold's health began to deteriorate. Martha could no longer care for him and he was admitted to Springbrook Manor, Beacon Light and then White Hall Manor in Montague, to get the necessary medical care that he needed. Martha sold their home and found an apartment in Montague to be closer to Harold, Nancy, and Robert. Her beloved Harold passed away on December 20, 1996.

Last July, Martha began to show signs of dementia. She also suffered from heart and diabetes complications. She was cared for very well by her children but by August her condition required her to need more care. Although she was non-communicative, both Nancy and Bob were with her the day Martha died on July 4th.

Martha was truly a kind and loving woman. She was a caring and giving mother who often sacrificed for the sake of her family. She will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by those who knew and loved her.

Mrs. Martha L. Wheelock, aged 84 of Montague, MI, passed away on Tuesday evening July 4, 2006 at Heartland Healthcare in Whitehall, MI. She was preceded in death by her husband Harold Wheelock,, her daughter-in-law, Patricia Wheelock and her sister Alice Wintercorn. She is survived by her children, Nancy and Joseph Przekop, Robert Wheelock; her grandchildren, Joseph (Michelle) Przekop and Scott (Debbie) Przekop; 4 great grandchildren; her sister Maxine Drake; nieces, nephews and many friends. The service to celebrate the life of Martha will be held on Friday at 1:00 pm at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. Friends and relatives may meet her family at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m., and again on Friday from 12 noon until the service begins. Contributions in her memory may be made to Alzheimer's Association n or Michigan Heart Association. To read more about Martha's life, to leave your own memories of her and to sign her guest book please visit her web page at www.lifestorynet.com