Sylvia Marti

Sylvia B. Marti, 97, of Waukon died Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, January 14 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Samantha Houser officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Sylvia Belle Marti was born July 13, 1919 in a cabin in Allamakee County, rural Rossville; she was the daughter of Jesse and Mary (Huff) Fish. She attended country school through the eighth grade.

December 24, 1935, Sylvia married Victor U. Marti at the Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah. The couple moved to Atkins and Sylvia worked as a waitress at the Cedar Rapids Grey Hound bus depot. In the 1960s, Sylvia and Victor purchased a farm near Rossville; as a parting gift, her coworkers gave her a little pig to take to the new farm. Victor remained in Cedar Rapids to live and work while Sylvia and their children moved to and ran the farm.

Besides raising eight children, Sylvia milked and raised cows, and raised crops and pigs. She did a lot of canning (50 quarts of everything and loved doing it), and loved cooking and baking for everyone, especially Victor. After Victor died in 1981, Sylvia eventually sold the farm and moved to Marion, where she lived until 2016 when a stroke sent her to the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon.

Sylvia also loved gardening and bird watching; even as her eyesight failed her, there was always a little wren she enjoyed watching build and defend its nest.

She is survived by seven children: Shirley Havercamp of Mt. Vernon, Delton Marti of Cedar Rapids, Gary Marti of Central City, NE, Dale (Beckie) Marti of Whitney, NE, Sharon (Larry) Johnson of Decorah, Sandra (Dennis) Baumgartner of Monona and James (Krista) Marti of Central City; 25 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Victor; a son, Luvern Marti; two grandchildren; her two brothers, Fred (Doris) Fish and Lester (Laura) Fish; two daughters-in-law, Susie and Connie Marti; and a son-in-law, Richard Havercamp.

Honorary casketbearers were all of Sylvia's grandchildren. Casketbearers were Michael and David Havercamp, Seth and Heath Marti, Jeremiah, Jason and Chad Johnson, and Wyatt Baumgartner.

Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.