Martha Jane Webb

Martha Jane Webb passed away at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA on Friday January 31st at the age of 99.  She is predeceased by her husband Jim.  She is survived by her children, son Tom, his wife Kerry and stepdaughter Nicole. Her daughter Sandy, her Yorkshire terrier Khloe, her granddaughter Kelsey, her grandson Jon, his wife Renee, and granddaughter Cynthia with her husband Mark. Her great-grandson's Joshua, his wife Ashley, Michael, his wife Laura, Trevor and great -granddaughter Karlee, and her great-great grandchildren Shasta and Aurora.

Martha was born to Clark and Nelly White, farm owners near Arkansas City, Kansas.  Struggling through the Great Depression, her father mostly farmed wheat and she often spent time growing up with her hard-working property-managing grandmother, Sarah.  In 1936 the farm was sold and the family moved to Santa Ana, California. 

In 1939 Martha received her diploma from Santa Ana High School and in 1941 received a degree from Johnston Business College.  For thirty years Martha worked her way up at the Orange County Health Department to the best of any woman’s ability at the time.  Through an exemplary display of courage and tenacity, she began as a typist and gained responsibilities until instated as the Chief Clerk of the Orange County Health Department.  She conducted interviews, hired employees and determined their salaries, managed performance evaluations, and directed 21 subordinates.  She retired in 1973 with a married daughter and a son in college.

Martha was an incredibly charismatic, kind, intelligent, and generous human being.  After retiring, she traveled to 48 of the US states with various friends and groups, taking photos everywhere she went.  She loved to cross-stitch, sew, knit, crochet, read, and stay up-to-date on current events.  She was (and always will be) a huge part of her granddaughter Kelsey’s life and showed up for her in every way possible.  She donated handmade quilts to newborns in need, she donated to battered women’s shelters, she donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and she donated to various veterans’ charities.  Martha was a warm, reliable, strong woman who served as an incredible role model for all in her life.  She will be insurmountably missed by those who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please donate in Martha Webb’s name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.

https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

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