Martha Jessaline Whalen

Martha Whalen, 95, Jamestown, North Dakota, died Monday, July 13, 2009 at Hi-Acres Manor Nursing Home in Jamestown.

Martha Jessaline Kilpatrick was born to Jesse and Grace (Witcombe) Kilpatrick on April 15, 1914 in Pipestone, Minnesota. The family to Andover, SD, where Martha attended grade and high school. She attended what was then known as Aberdeen Normal College majoring in Kindergarten and Primary Education. After teaching two years in a country school, she taught primary grades in Andover and Watertown, SD, where she also coached upper grade volleyball.

Martha married Woodrow ""Pat"" Whalen from Pierpoint, SD, at her childhood home in Andover, SD on June 22, 1941. They lived on a farm near Larimore, ND, before beginning a farming life near Fordville, ND, where they resided for nearly 50 years and raised their family. They moved to Grand Forks, ND, in 1990. Her husband, Pat, died in 1992.

Martha's life included active involvement in many community activities. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Fordville, ND, charter member and first Worthy Matron of the Ida Brook Chapter of the Eastern Star, also serving as District Deputy and earning lifetime membership in the Eastern Star organization. She was a long-term member of the Sunset Homemakers Club also serving as Walsh county officer of the organization. She taught several years in Dahlen, ND, and multi grades at the school of the Forest River Hutterite Colony near Fordville. She was an arts and crafts enthusiast enjoying hobbies of ceramics, compiling scrapbooks, and writing. She wrote numerous skits and poems, and also played the piano for gatherings and celebrations of the community and organizations in which she participated.

After moving to Grand Forks, she enjoyed working at Altru Hospital totaling over 1400 hours of volunteer time.

Martha moved to Heritage Centre in Jamestown in 2002. She worked for a time as a volunteer at Jamestown Hospital through the RSVP program. She became a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Sojourners Circle. She moved to Rock of Ages in February of 2007 and transferred to Hi-Acres Manor in August of 2008.

Martha is survived by a daughter, Jo (Norm) Trenda, Jamestown; a son, Tom (Ann) Whalen, Gaylord, MN; and a daughter-in-law, Dee Whalen, Fargo, ND; nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren, in addition to several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Pat; one son, Tim Whalen; sister, Mildred Swanson; and infant brother.

Memorial Service: 10:30 AM, Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Jamestown, with Rev. Gary Ball-Kilbourne officiating.

Private Burial: Oak Grove Cemetery, Fordville, North Dakota.