Martha Elaine Veatch

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Martha (Marty) E. Veatch, 95, passed away peacefully on September 13, 2020, at a Meridian, ID care center.

Marty was born Martha Elaine Hansen to Nels X. and Maggie Ann (Pritchett) Hansen on April 5, 1925, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. When she was five years old, the family moved to a farm in Council, and in her teen years, the family moved from Council to Parma. Upon graduation from high school, she worked as a waitress, then moved to stay with a sister in Boise, where she met and married the boy next door, John (Jack) Veatch in 1946. The two built their own home and raised three sons on Latah Street, where they grew a huge vegetable garden and raised chickens, sheep, and a cow or two on a small acreage.

Although Marty had only three sons, she was known as “Mom Veatch” by local children who attended Jefferson Grade School or Borah High School. The Veatch home became an after-school hangout, and the boys’ friends quickly learned you ‘toed the line’ around Marty. They often would be wrangled into working in the garden or yard before they could play with her sons. Over the years, Marty also came to be known as ‘Grandma Veatch’ by the offspring of many of these same children.

As her sons got older, she attended beauty school and worked for a local hair salon until opening her own shop, ‘Marty V’s Beauty Salon,’ on Latah. Jack eventually built her a small beauty shop on their property, and she worked there until retirement.

Jack and Marty spent vacations and retirement camping, fishing, and hunting in beautiful Idaho. They also took a camper through Canada to Alaska, across the western U.S. to trapshooting events, and for several years in a row, they’d go down to Arizona and as far as the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.

Besides remembering most everyone’s birthdays, Marty loved crocheting, needlepoint, and quilting, and she generously gifted many new parents with baby blankets. If you were really lucky to know Marty as a newlywed, you might receive a set of her homemade down pillows or lacey pillowcases. And each Christmas, family and friends would enjoy some of her ‘secret recipe’ homemade fudge.

Marty was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many church positions in the Relief Society and teaching.

Her surviving sons, Rick (Jo) and Dennis (Jan), former daughter-in-law Mary, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, as well as numerous friends and extended family, will miss her deeply. We loved you so much, Marty! She was preceded in death by her husband Jack, son Ron, and six siblings.

Viewing will be held at Relyea Funeral Chapel (318 N. Latah St., Boise) on Sunday, September 20, from 4:00-6:00pm. Visitation will follow Monday, September 21, 10:00-10:50am, followed by an abbreviated funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Graveside services will be held following the funeral for her immediate family.

The family would like to thank Grace Memory Care in Meridian and All Care Hospice for their kindness and care of Marty and support for her loved ones through this difficult time.