Martha S. Stryker, 75, died peacefully July 23, 2014, at Season’s Hospice and Palliative Care. She was born in Sterling, Ill, on Aug. 28, 1938, to the late Alice and Chester Sherman. She spent her early life in Sterling where she graduated from Sterling High School. She was a graduate of Knox College and a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
She had various teaching jobs, and eventually became a social worker for Racine County, retiring in 1994. She then was able to spend more time with her newborn granddaughter.
She enjoyed reading and keeping up with all the current news and events. Her biggest love was spending time with her family. She always put her family first.
Survivors include her daughter, Kathryn A. Stryker; son-in-law, John B. Finck; granddaughter, Emily S. Stryker, of Waterford; two sisters-in-law; brother-in-law; cousins; other relatives and friends.
She was further preceded in death by her daughter, Prudance Stryker.
The family would like to thank the staff at Tudor Oaks Retirement Community and Season’s Hospice for their wonderful care and compassion.
The family is planning a private service for Martha in her hometown of Sterling.
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” “Gone where?” Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she Comes!” And that is dying.
–Henry Van Dyke
Max A. Sass & Sons, Westwood Directors, Milwaukee, is serving the family. Well-wishers can visit www.maxsass.com.
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My heart goes out to you. She was lucky to have such a wonderful family. Now she is in His arms, and you will see her again but feel her in your heart each day till then.
My heart is truly saddened, Martha was a great women and very special to me as a nurse. My thoughts and prayers and with Katie and family at this time.
I’m sad to hear about Martha. She was like a sister to me. Her parents and Martha lived upstairs in in a house in Manlius, IL and my parents and I lived on the lower floor in the late thirties and early forties. Our parents were the best of friends for their entire lives as were Martha and I. Chet, Martha’s dad, was like a second dad to me and, in the later years, we visited him frequently in San Marcos, CA. After Manlius, Martha and her parents moved to Sterling, IL where we all still saw a lot of each other but when she moved to Wis. and I to CA we didn’t see a lot of each other. My wife and I did visit her about three times in Wis. We did spend time on the phone usually for about 1 1/2 hrs to get each other up to date. I’m sure Katy and Emily will miss her as will we. She was a great person and close friend but I know, as believers, it is just a matter of time until we shall see each other again and bring each other up to date again.