Martha O. Koch

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Martha Olia Koch, age 92, of Garretson, formerly of Sherman, died Sunday, April 21, 2013, at Palisade Manor in Garretson. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 A.M. Friday, April 26, 2013, at Zion Lutheran Church, Garretson. Visitation with the family present will be from 5-7:00 PM Thursday, at the Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson. Memorials may be directed to the Garretson Community Ambulance.

Martha was born on March 26, 1921, near Egan, South Dakota, to Leonal John and Mabel Belinda (Cook) Brandsma. Martha received her education in Egan and graduated from Egan High School. On December 30, 1939, she married Harvey Koch at the parsonage of Rev. Hegland at Jasper, Minnesota. In August 1940, the couple moved into Sherman and lived there until moving to the Koch Family Farm near Sherman in 1957. Martha spent her time raising her children and helping Harvey on the farm. The couple ran a successful egg production business until 1971. Their eggs supplied many businesses throughout the area including Sioux Valley & McKennan Hospitals in Sioux Falls. The couple moved back to Sherman in 1969. Harvey died on May 31, 1990. Following Harvey’s death, Martha moved into Garretson in 1993. She lived there until moving to assisted living in Jasper in 2009.

Martha was a member of First Lutheran Church in Sherman, and the Red Hat Society in Garretson. She spent many summers working at the information centers at Splitrock Park and Devil’s Gulch in Garretson. She also served as the head cook at Palisade Manor after it opened. She enjoyed embroidery and having coffee with friends. Martha was known best for the hats she wore.

Grateful for having shared her life are her children: Karen (Jim) DeWitte, Sioux Falls, Sandra (Norm) Feldman, Sioux Falls, Marsha (Lyle) Songstad, Fargo, North Dakota, Elline (Terry) Satrang, Rapid City, Richard Koch, Casper, Wyoming, JoAnn (Jim) Keyser, Valley Springs, William L. (Bonnie) Koch, Sherman, and Paul (Karen) Koch, Sherman; 28 grandchildren; 59 great-grandchildren; numerous great great-grandchildren; two step-siblings: LeMoyne (Twyla) Brandsma, Sioux Falls, and Eloye (Bill) Farrell, Hartford; and a special friend, Bill Roscoe, Pipestone, Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and a brother, Lyle Brandsma.