Martha Vivian Israel passed away peacefully with her best friend Colleen Barton & niece Pam Finn at her side on 8/17/23 at Taylor House.
Martha was born in Creston, IA and graduated from Tech High School. She worked 37 years for Central Soya. She enjoyed Line Dancing, but her real love was dogs! Martha loved her family and “adopted” 42 nieces & nephews & will be missed by them all. She delighted in supporting them in various sports, games, and activities. Five lucky nephews adventured with Martha and Colleen, catching five major league baseball games in five different cities & stadiums in seven days. Martha was an exceptional cook. Everyone savored her homemade macaroni & cheese, escalloped potatoes & ham, escalloped corn, fried chicken & gravy, roasts & gravy, and cheesy potatoes. Martha took pleasure in her Arizona home, traveling, the Hawkeyes, Cyclones & Barnstormers, dining out, playing cards, flowers, and birds. A later years favorite activity was the Bejeweled Classic, Butterflies. Her single game high score rivaled players sixty years her junior with 3,824,675 points!
Waiting in heaven to greet Martha were her parents Asa & Mamie Hopkins, sister Bev Peterson, and brother Blaine Hopkins. She is survived by nephew Conrad Peterson, niece Pam Finn, great nephew Jonathan Finn, and great-great nephews Conner, Cooper, & Deegan Finn. Visitation will be 5 – 7 PM Wednesday, 8/23/23 with Memorial Service at 10:30 AM Thursday, 8/24/23, both at First Church of God, 4201 E Douglas Ave, Des Moines. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the family for a future memorial at the IA State Fair.
