Martha Lois Beltz was born on November 8, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri. An only child, she grew up in St. Louis. Hers was no ordinary childhood. Her mother ran a boarding house and her father worked long hours as an Ice and Coal deliveryman in a horse drawn cart. Nearly every week her surrogate father, a close friend of the family, would take her to see Vaudeville. It was not until she was 21 that she learned she had been adopted.
In 1937 Martha received her RN at St. Louis City Hospital. During WW II she served in the Army Nurse Corps and was stationed in England and France. Later she obtained her BSN and Masters Degrees from St. Louis University in 1951 and 1964.
Much of Martha's career was spent in Public Health Nursing, first in St. Louis and then as a Visiting Nurse both in St. Louis, MO and in Santa Cruz, CA. She spent some time with Infant Welfare in Chicago and was the nurse for several years in the Indian Service in Oregon. After settling in California she worked with the Migrant Workers while living in Bakersfield. The last ten years of her nursing career were spent in Riverside as professor of psychiatric nursing at Riverside Community College.
In 1968 Martha, along with her father, settled in Hemet. Her father passed away in 1973 at the age of 94. It was about that time when Martha first discovered Dignity. A convert to Catholicism, she was one of the pioneer members of the San Diego Chapter and took an active role in the chapter's development. It was in San Diego at a Dignity function that Martha met her life partner, Angela Savoie, who would later become Martha's legally adopted daughter.
As well as a devoted and dedicated member of Dignity for 25 years, Martha was a member of the House of Faith community in Hemet, a member of the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW.
Martha served on the first Hemet Hospice Board of Directors, 1980-1986, and for the last few years as a volunteer at Hemet Hospice Thrift, Etc. She would later become a Hemet Hospice patient. On January 20 of this year she was presented with very special recognition, the 1997 Heart of Hospice Award.
Following a two-year illness, Martha passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 1998. Martha received a full military service on March 16, 1998 at the Riverside National Cemetery where her ashes are inurned.
She is survived by her life partner Angela Savoie.
______________________________________________
The Martha I knew and loved
By Pat McArron
It has been over 24 years since I first met Martha. Very quickly Martha became my personal mentor. There were many things about her that I liked. She was brassy, forthright, no-nonsense, intelligent, sincere, and a real character.
It wasn't long after we met that we developed a close bond. We spent a great deal of time together in the early years of our relationship. And ours was no ordinary relationship. In Dignity circles we became known as the Harold and Maude of Dignity. I made frequent visits to her "trailer" in Hemet to seek her advice and wisdom.
She was my guiding light, someone who kept challenging me to do things I had never done before. She taught me the value of speaking your mind and never backing down from a challenge.
One of my most memorable memories of Martha was the time we spent two weeks together (just her and me) traveling all over New England and capping off our trip at the Dignity National Convention in Boston back in 1975.
I cannot think of Martha without also thinking of Angela. They were nearly inseparable. I should know - I first introduced them to one another over a fruit salad at a Dignity Brunch in La Jolla. Martha saw what she wanted and then proceeded to have Angie go after her. What a love affair!
A special Dignity Memorial Service for Martha is being planned for a later date. Martha, I will always love you. Pat.
_______________
An Ode to Martha
By Angela Savoie, Martha's Life Partner
Swiftly have passed the months and years,
Joyously the moments have flown,
Overflowing all with our love, and
Enriched - Oh, so enriched by our caring!
Our lives wondrously deepened, perfected and enhanced
By our union and our oneness.
How, how do we love each other?
Oh, countless and beyond numbering are the ways -
Twinkling, glistening stars proclaim it!
Sunset and sunrise reflect its glow -
Mountains and valleys bespeak its height and depth,
The gentle rains and breezes its pure loveliness!
Awakening each morn to the fires of our love refreshed,
We seek and find each other - and touch,
We caress and our souls melt and mingle,
The ecstasy of love's passion - wondrously deep, gloriously beautiful,
Explodes in magnificent sensuous fireworks
As our love, our oneness, reaches
Yet greater unspeakable incredible heights and depths and horizons.
Our gratitude to a God of Love
Grows moment by moment
As we perceive the numerous prints
Of His fashioning fingers in our lives
And recall the marvelous ways
He planned - and our paths crossed.
And, together, we continue down life's pathway,
Forever - in love and gratitude.
________________________________________________
Military Information: 1ST LT, US ARMY
In 1937 Martha received her RN at St. Louis City Hospital. During WW II she served in the Army Nurse Corps and was stationed in England and France. Later she obtained her BSN and Masters Degrees from St. Louis University in 1951 and 1964.
Much of Martha's career was spent in Public Health Nursing, first in St. Louis and then as a Visiting Nurse both in St. Louis, MO and in Santa Cruz, CA. She spent some time with Infant Welfare in Chicago and was the nurse for several years in the Indian Service in Oregon. After settling in California she worked with the Migrant Workers while living in Bakersfield. The last ten years of her nursing career were spent in Riverside as professor of psychiatric nursing at Riverside Community College.
In 1968 Martha, along with her father, settled in Hemet. Her father passed away in 1973 at the age of 94. It was about that time when Martha first discovered Dignity. A convert to Catholicism, she was one of the pioneer members of the San Diego Chapter and took an active role in the chapter's development. It was in San Diego at a Dignity function that Martha met her life partner, Angela Savoie, who would later become Martha's legally adopted daughter.
As well as a devoted and dedicated member of Dignity for 25 years, Martha was a member of the House of Faith community in Hemet, a member of the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW.
Martha served on the first Hemet Hospice Board of Directors, 1980-1986, and for the last few years as a volunteer at Hemet Hospice Thrift, Etc. She would later become a Hemet Hospice patient. On January 20 of this year she was presented with very special recognition, the 1997 Heart of Hospice Award.
Following a two-year illness, Martha passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 1998. Martha received a full military service on March 16, 1998 at the Riverside National Cemetery where her ashes are inurned.
She is survived by her life partner Angela Savoie.
______________________________________________
The Martha I knew and loved
By Pat McArron
It has been over 24 years since I first met Martha. Very quickly Martha became my personal mentor. There were many things about her that I liked. She was brassy, forthright, no-nonsense, intelligent, sincere, and a real character.
It wasn't long after we met that we developed a close bond. We spent a great deal of time together in the early years of our relationship. And ours was no ordinary relationship. In Dignity circles we became known as the Harold and Maude of Dignity. I made frequent visits to her "trailer" in Hemet to seek her advice and wisdom.
She was my guiding light, someone who kept challenging me to do things I had never done before. She taught me the value of speaking your mind and never backing down from a challenge.
One of my most memorable memories of Martha was the time we spent two weeks together (just her and me) traveling all over New England and capping off our trip at the Dignity National Convention in Boston back in 1975.
I cannot think of Martha without also thinking of Angela. They were nearly inseparable. I should know - I first introduced them to one another over a fruit salad at a Dignity Brunch in La Jolla. Martha saw what she wanted and then proceeded to have Angie go after her. What a love affair!
A special Dignity Memorial Service for Martha is being planned for a later date. Martha, I will always love you. Pat.
_______________
An Ode to Martha
By Angela Savoie, Martha's Life Partner
Swiftly have passed the months and years,
Joyously the moments have flown,
Overflowing all with our love, and
Enriched - Oh, so enriched by our caring!
Our lives wondrously deepened, perfected and enhanced
By our union and our oneness.
How, how do we love each other?
Oh, countless and beyond numbering are the ways -
Twinkling, glistening stars proclaim it!
Sunset and sunrise reflect its glow -
Mountains and valleys bespeak its height and depth,
The gentle rains and breezes its pure loveliness!
Awakening each morn to the fires of our love refreshed,
We seek and find each other - and touch,
We caress and our souls melt and mingle,
The ecstasy of love's passion - wondrously deep, gloriously beautiful,
Explodes in magnificent sensuous fireworks
As our love, our oneness, reaches
Yet greater unspeakable incredible heights and depths and horizons.
Our gratitude to a God of Love
Grows moment by moment
As we perceive the numerous prints
Of His fashioning fingers in our lives
And recall the marvelous ways
He planned - and our paths crossed.
And, together, we continue down life's pathway,
Forever - in love and gratitude.
________________________________________________
Military Information: 1ST LT, US ARMY
Martha Lois Beltz was born on November 8, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri. An only child, she grew up in St. Louis. Hers was no ordinary childhood. Her mother ran a boarding house and her father worked long hours as an Ice and Coal deliveryman in a horse drawn cart. Nearly every week her surrogate father, a close friend of the family, would take her to see Vaudeville. It was not until she was 21 that she learned she had been adopted.
In 1937 Martha received her RN at St. Louis City Hospital. During WW II she served in the Army Nurse Corps and was stationed in England and France. Later she obtained her BSN and Masters Degrees from St. Louis University in 1951 and 1964.
Much of Martha's career was spent in Public Health Nursing, first in St. Louis and then as a Visiting Nurse both in St. Louis, MO and in Santa Cruz, CA. She spent some time with Infant Welfare in Chicago and was the nurse for several years in the Indian Service in Oregon. After settling in California she worked with the Migrant Workers while living in Bakersfield. The last ten years of her nursing career were spent in Riverside as professor of psychiatric nursing at Riverside Community College.
In 1968 Martha, along with her father, settled in Hemet. Her father passed away in 1973 at the age of 94. It was about that time when Martha first discovered Dignity. A convert to Catholicism, she was one of the pioneer members of the San Diego Chapter and took an active role in the chapter's development. It was in San Diego at a Dignity function that Martha met her life partner, Angela Savoie, who would later become Martha's legally adopted daughter.
As well as a devoted and dedicated member of Dignity for 25 years, Martha was a member of the House of Faith community in Hemet, a member of the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW.
Martha served on the first Hemet Hospice Board of Directors, 1980-1986, and for the last few years as a volunteer at Hemet Hospice Thrift, Etc. She would later become a Hemet Hospice patient. On January 20 of this year she was presented with very special recognition, the 1997 Heart of Hospice Award.
Following a two-year illness, Martha passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 1998. Martha received a full military service on March 16, 1998 at the Riverside National Cemetery where her ashes are inurned.
She is survived by her life partner Angela Savoie.
______________________________________________
The Martha I knew and loved
By Pat McArron
It has been over 24 years since I first met Martha. Very quickly Martha became my personal mentor. There were many things about her that I liked. She was brassy, forthright, no-nonsense, intelligent, sincere, and a real character.
It wasn't long after we met that we developed a close bond. We spent a great deal of time together in the early years of our relationship. And ours was no ordinary relationship. In Dignity circles we became known as the Harold and Maude of Dignity. I made frequent visits to her "trailer" in Hemet to seek her advice and wisdom.
She was my guiding light, someone who kept challenging me to do things I had never done before. She taught me the value of speaking your mind and never backing down from a challenge.
One of my most memorable memories of Martha was the time we spent two weeks together (just her and me) traveling all over New England and capping off our trip at the Dignity National Convention in Boston back in 1975.
I cannot think of Martha without also thinking of Angela. They were nearly inseparable. I should know - I first introduced them to one another over a fruit salad at a Dignity Brunch in La Jolla. Martha saw what she wanted and then proceeded to have Angie go after her. What a love affair!
A special Dignity Memorial Service for Martha is being planned for a later date. Martha, I will always love you. Pat.
_______________
An Ode to Martha
By Angela Savoie, Martha's Life Partner
Swiftly have passed the months and years,
Joyously the moments have flown,
Overflowing all with our love, and
Enriched - Oh, so enriched by our caring!
Our lives wondrously deepened, perfected and enhanced
By our union and our oneness.
How, how do we love each other?
Oh, countless and beyond numbering are the ways -
Twinkling, glistening stars proclaim it!
Sunset and sunrise reflect its glow -
Mountains and valleys bespeak its height and depth,
The gentle rains and breezes its pure loveliness!
Awakening each morn to the fires of our love refreshed,
We seek and find each other - and touch,
We caress and our souls melt and mingle,
The ecstasy of love's passion - wondrously deep, gloriously beautiful,
Explodes in magnificent sensuous fireworks
As our love, our oneness, reaches
Yet greater unspeakable incredible heights and depths and horizons.
Our gratitude to a God of Love
Grows moment by moment
As we perceive the numerous prints
Of His fashioning fingers in our lives
And recall the marvelous ways
He planned - and our paths crossed.
And, together, we continue down life's pathway,
Forever - in love and gratitude.
________________________________________________
Military Information: 1ST LT, US ARMY
In 1937 Martha received her RN at St. Louis City Hospital. During WW II she served in the Army Nurse Corps and was stationed in England and France. Later she obtained her BSN and Masters Degrees from St. Louis University in 1951 and 1964.
Much of Martha's career was spent in Public Health Nursing, first in St. Louis and then as a Visiting Nurse both in St. Louis, MO and in Santa Cruz, CA. She spent some time with Infant Welfare in Chicago and was the nurse for several years in the Indian Service in Oregon. After settling in California she worked with the Migrant Workers while living in Bakersfield. The last ten years of her nursing career were spent in Riverside as professor of psychiatric nursing at Riverside Community College.
In 1968 Martha, along with her father, settled in Hemet. Her father passed away in 1973 at the age of 94. It was about that time when Martha first discovered Dignity. A convert to Catholicism, she was one of the pioneer members of the San Diego Chapter and took an active role in the chapter's development. It was in San Diego at a Dignity function that Martha met her life partner, Angela Savoie, who would later become Martha's legally adopted daughter.
As well as a devoted and dedicated member of Dignity for 25 years, Martha was a member of the House of Faith community in Hemet, a member of the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW.
Martha served on the first Hemet Hospice Board of Directors, 1980-1986, and for the last few years as a volunteer at Hemet Hospice Thrift, Etc. She would later become a Hemet Hospice patient. On January 20 of this year she was presented with very special recognition, the 1997 Heart of Hospice Award.
Following a two-year illness, Martha passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 1998. Martha received a full military service on March 16, 1998 at the Riverside National Cemetery where her ashes are inurned.
She is survived by her life partner Angela Savoie.
______________________________________________
The Martha I knew and loved
By Pat McArron
It has been over 24 years since I first met Martha. Very quickly Martha became my personal mentor. There were many things about her that I liked. She was brassy, forthright, no-nonsense, intelligent, sincere, and a real character.
It wasn't long after we met that we developed a close bond. We spent a great deal of time together in the early years of our relationship. And ours was no ordinary relationship. In Dignity circles we became known as the Harold and Maude of Dignity. I made frequent visits to her "trailer" in Hemet to seek her advice and wisdom.
She was my guiding light, someone who kept challenging me to do things I had never done before. She taught me the value of speaking your mind and never backing down from a challenge.
One of my most memorable memories of Martha was the time we spent two weeks together (just her and me) traveling all over New England and capping off our trip at the Dignity National Convention in Boston back in 1975.
I cannot think of Martha without also thinking of Angela. They were nearly inseparable. I should know - I first introduced them to one another over a fruit salad at a Dignity Brunch in La Jolla. Martha saw what she wanted and then proceeded to have Angie go after her. What a love affair!
A special Dignity Memorial Service for Martha is being planned for a later date. Martha, I will always love you. Pat.
_______________
An Ode to Martha
By Angela Savoie, Martha's Life Partner
Swiftly have passed the months and years,
Joyously the moments have flown,
Overflowing all with our love, and
Enriched - Oh, so enriched by our caring!
Our lives wondrously deepened, perfected and enhanced
By our union and our oneness.
How, how do we love each other?
Oh, countless and beyond numbering are the ways -
Twinkling, glistening stars proclaim it!
Sunset and sunrise reflect its glow -
Mountains and valleys bespeak its height and depth,
The gentle rains and breezes its pure loveliness!
Awakening each morn to the fires of our love refreshed,
We seek and find each other - and touch,
We caress and our souls melt and mingle,
The ecstasy of love's passion - wondrously deep, gloriously beautiful,
Explodes in magnificent sensuous fireworks
As our love, our oneness, reaches
Yet greater unspeakable incredible heights and depths and horizons.
Our gratitude to a God of Love
Grows moment by moment
As we perceive the numerous prints
Of His fashioning fingers in our lives
And recall the marvelous ways
He planned - and our paths crossed.
And, together, we continue down life's pathway,
Forever - in love and gratitude.
________________________________________________
Military Information: 1ST LT, US ARMY
