Gretchen Marty

Gretchen Jacobs Marty, 89, closed her eyes to this chapter in her book of life and slipped peacefully into her new adventure on Nov. 7, 2014, following her husband of 55 years, Louie Marty, who also passed on November seventh 18 years ago.

Gretchen was born in Iron Mountain, Mich., to Chauncy and Gertrude Jacobs. Her mother passed away when she was a child. Gretchen spent time with several aunts until joining her father in Oregon, until his passing when she was in her teens.

She moved to Grey Eagle, Minn., to live with her brother Adrian, where she met, fell in love with and married Louie in 1941. They lived in Grey Eagle, moved to Bemidji in January 1946, then to Columbia Falls in 1959, where she lived for 41 years. Her last 15 years were in Lake Barrington, Ill., with her daughter Iona.

The energetic, determined Gretchen was never one to sit still. Besides raising a family, she always held a job or two and was always eager to help anyone she could. She loved cooking and baking, gardening, crocheting, and playing cards with family and friends, and she was an avid fan of MLB. Being a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother were her highest priorities.

Gretchen was preceded in death by her parents; brother Adrian Jacobs; husband Louie; daughters and their husbands Ila and Scott Covington and Isabelle and Max Allen, as well as their daughter Marty Ann.

A huge void has been left where her love existed. Survivors include daughters Iona, Ileen and her husband Rod, and Inez; grandsons and their wives Jason and Heather Persicke, Byron and Renee Persicke, Rusty and Dusty Hamilton, and Max W. Allen; great grandkids Natasha, Jadon, Rylan, Alexis, Ethan, Kobaine, Jaide and Rance, and an extended family of relatives.

Family graveside services took place on Nov. 20, 2014, per Gretchen’s request