Martha Worley

MARTHA WORLEY IDAHO FALLS, ID -- Martha was born on the family farm west of Oberlin, Kansas, on August 28, 1915, the youngest child of Nels and Anna Westfall Bystrom. She initially attended a rural school near Achilles, Kansas, through the 9th grade before leaving school to assist her father on the family farm. She was able to move to Oberlin, Kansas, in 1935, where she worked in the dining room of the Hotel Oberlin and met her future husband, A. C. Worley. They were married August 15, 1937, in Goodland, Kansas, and immediately moved to Washington, D.C., where A. C. had accepted a position with the Department of Agriculture. During this time Martha worked in the Department of Agriculture dining room and one of her fondest memories was getting to serve lunch to Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1941, the young couple moved to Greenbelt, Maryland, and A. C. was called into the U. S. Army in 1942. Martha continued to live in Greenbelt through the war years and worked at a dry cleaner’s shop and later worked as a police dispatcher. After serving in London in the Army Finance Corps from 1942 to 1945, A. C. returned to the states and his position with the Department of Agriculture. The couple moved to a new house in Falls Church, Virginia, in 1946. Their son, AC, was born February 3, 1947. In 1952, A. C. accepted a position in the budget office of the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission. In 1954, the family moved to Idaho Falls and A. C. worked in the budget office at the Idaho Falls headquarters of the National Reactor Test Station until his retirement in 1973. During their years in Idaho Falls, Martha completed her high school degree and the family was active in the Russet Lions Club, the First Baptist Church, the Science Center, and skiing at both the local slopes at Sun Valley. A. C. passed away on April 3, 1994, and Martha continued to live in Idaho Falls until her passing on September 20, 2009, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. She is preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, and a sister. Survivors include her son, Ace and daughter-in-law, Catherine Worley, of Anchorage, Alaska, grandson Dennis Eric Worley and his wife LeeAnn, great granddaughters, Jessica Price, Leigh Price, and Alexia Worley. Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 26, 2009, at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Avenue, Idaho Falls. The family will visit with friends for one hour prior to services at Wood Funeral Home. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery. ---------------------------------------------------- Condolences received online: Mike and Carol Hunter, Dallas, Texas Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Millie Hunter, Fresno CA "Cowboy" and Cathy, I am so saddened by the loss of our Martha. She was such a dear, dear friend to me over the years. I have so many wonderful memories of Martha and A.C. and will continue to hold them in a special place in my heart. My love to you, Millie