Martha Marie Wood

Martha was born to Rudolph and Mary Ann Poelke on March 15, 1918 in South Dakota. She died at the age of 95 on January 29, 2014 in Chehalis, Washington. At an early age, Martha’s family moved to California, where they settled in North-East Los Angeles. Her music education started in early childhood with the violin. She started piano lessons at age eight and continued to play until a few months before her death. At age 59, she purchased and began to learn the organ. For more than 20 years, she took group lessons on the organ, developing a number of close friends in that group. She played the organ in church in Pasadena, California and in Kelso, Washington. Her taste in piano and organ music was light and lively. She met Walter W. Wood in high school where she accompanied his bass singing on the piano. They were also active in Luther League, a church youth activity. Later they married and together had two children. The family took many trips together, traveling by car and camping in a tent. The family would camp in Yosemite with sister-in-law Fern and Ted Lazicki and their children. She continued to enjoy travel and camping much of her life. She loved to stop and snap pictures of flowers everywhere she went. She took pleasure in pointing out pretty clouds in the sky. Martha is survived by her sister, Ruby Earney; her children, Karen F. Lahan and Walter W Wood III; her grandchildren, Dane Moe, Sean Moe, Christine Gammill, Walter W Wood IV, Richard J Wood, and Jessica Lahan; as well as many great-grandchildren. She is also survived by nephews, Ed Earney, Dan Lazicki and Steve Lazicki; nieces, Arlene Picek and Donna Cardon, Stephanie Plunkett, Marsha Bridston, Wendy Morton and Laurel Lazicki. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Assured Hospice Foundation, 222 S. Pearl St., Centralia, WA 98531. Please leave memories of Martha or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.