Martha Lee Yester (Nee Rhodes) was born in Akron, Ohio on May 3, 1930 to O.B and Florence Calebaugh Rhodes and peacefully passed into the arms of her Savior on June 17, 2020 at the age of ninety.Martha, better known as Marty, spent her early childhood in Antioch, a small rural community in southern Ohio and attended Perry Rural School there. After high school, she was employed as a bank teller and later as a customer representative for the local gas utility company.On September 29, 1950, she married longtime family friend and love of her life, Graydon (Grady) Yester who was attending Marietta College at the time. They were married in the First Christian Church, New Martinsville, West Virginia.During early March 1951, the couple packed their meager belongings and headed west for Cody, Wyoming where Grady’s first job was located and where they established their first home.During the next 35 years, Marty mastered a lifetime of on-the-job activities as a Domestic Engineer from experience gained during twenty plus job relocations Grady made during his career.Marty was truly a biblical Proverbs woman who lived for her family and providing for them. She was a wonderful soulmate to her husband and loved her job of raising and teaching her children. She was an excellent homemaker and strived to always have wholesome food for her family at the end of the day. Homemade cookies were always available for after school snacks and for sick friends and neighbors new to the area. She was a loyal and thoughtful friend to the many friends she had met through all the family moves and travels keeping in contact with most for many years by letters, card and phone calls. She was a woman of strong convictions, unwavering faith and sympathetic to the needs of others.She was a member of the Hi-Sky Emmaus Community, Golden Girl’s Reunion Group, St. Luke’s UMC New Beginnings Sunday School Class, Green Tree Ladies’ Golf Association and Order of Eastern Stars.After the children had established their own families, Marty had more time to participate in activities she enjoyed such as golf, bowling, bridge, board games and travel, both domestic and international. Even with those activities, she found time for other arts and crafts such as ceramics, macramé, decoupage and knitting. She continued the latter until shortly before her death. Her handiwork can be found in churches and many friends’ homes and included prayer shawls, baby blankets, baby toques, scarves and countless dish cloths.Marty left a legacy of compassion, love and caring for her family all of whom she loved dearly and who in turn loved her. She was preceded in death by her parents, son Richard and sister Faye Coulter. Family survivors are her husband of 69 years, Grady; son Michael (Gail) and grandsons Reid (Whitney) and Scott (Charlotte, expecting in September) all of Calgary, AB, Canada; daughter Kathy (Richard) Van Groningen lives in Fresno, CA as does grandson Cory (Kristin) and granddaughter Emily (Kyle) Williams. Emily and Kyle are the parents of Marty’s and Grady’s three great grandchildren, Hudson Thomas, Parker Graydon and Blake Katherine. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive her.No memorial or celebration of life service is planned for now due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainties of travel restrictions, quarantines and potential personal illness exposure associated with it. This decision was made after much agonizing over not being able to express respect, compassion and love for Martha in a traditional celebration of life. The family has been deeply humbled by the generosity, condolences and kind words that have been received from her many friends and sincerely thank everyone for your compassion and expression of sympathy. Those wishing to establish a memorial can make the gift to a charity of their choice.Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory in Midland. Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.,
