Martha Harriet Babcock

Martha Harriet Babcock died Oct. 9, 2013 at the age of 94. Martha was born Aug. 22, 1919, in Burley, Idaho, to Robert R. Povlsen and Mary Shreiber Povlsen. She was the second oldest of seven children. When she was 18, Martha moved to Boise to go to secretarial school. To pay for room and board, she cleaned at the boarding house where she lived. She finished school with a two-year degree. While she never worked outside of the home, she worked on farm records, taxes and more at home. In Boise, she met Fred Babcock and the two were married April 21, 1939. Fred built their first house, as he built all of their homes, out in the country in Boise. As a wedding present, Martha’s family gave her a cow and chickens. The two had their first child, a son named Fred Robert, in 1940. Right after Pearl Harbor was bombed, Fred and his brother got jobs with a construction crew to go to Hawaii. Martha went to stay with her parents in Burley. Their first daughter, Pat, was born in 1942. After Fred’s return to Burley, he was drafted into the Navy. When he returned, the young family moved to Hanford. Their third child, a daughter named Mary, was born in 1944. At Hanford, Martha was the only one around with a washing machine. She began taking in the other worker’s clothes and washing and ironing all of their laundry. She saved money from Fred’s job and from washing laundry so that the family could move away from the construction life. Eventually, they had enough saved to buy a farm in Adrian, Ore., where Fred built them a second home. They lived on that farm until 1955, when they moved to a farm in Warden, where Fred built them a third home. It was in Warden where Martha’s love of farming grew even stronger. She loved to garden and always had a beautiful yard and plenty of flowers. Her yard was even featured in a farming magazine. In 1980, the two retired and Fred built them their fourth and final home on West Shore Drive in Moses Lake. She really loved her little house on the lake. She worked on her garden and mowed her own lawn until she was into her 80s. She could do just about everything and loved fishing, playing golf and bird watching. For the last six years of her life, Martha lived at the Monroe House in Moses Lake. She loved living there and enjoyed getting to know all the people. Martha is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years Fred; and two grandsons Paul Babcock and Dale Jeske. She is survived by her three children and their families Fred and Karen Babcock, of Springfield, Ore., and their sons Mark (Kathy), of Harrisburg, Ore., and Phillip (Karen), of Springfield, Patricia and Gary Suko, of Moses Lake, and their sons Mike, of Seattle, Jay (Stephanie), of Hayden Lake, Idaho, Brian (Julie), of Lake Tapps, and Bruce (Kim), Hauser, Idaho; and Mary and Larry Jeske, of Washougal, and their sons Leon (Merrie Kay) Alzola, of Washougal, and Adam Jeske, of Hercules, Calif. She is also survived by her siblings Paula Haydocy, of Dublin, Ohio, and Ralph Povlsen, Oakhurst, Calif.; and 12 great-grandchildren. A private service for family will be held at a later date.

Martha Harriet Babcock

August 22, 1919 - October 9, 2013