Martha Jean Hawkins Gartner, age 83, passed away Sunday, November 23, 2014 at St. Luke Lutheran Community-Minerva. Martha was born on October 22, 1931, in New Franklin, Ohio to Morris and Mary (Crowl) Hawkins. She graduated from Minerva High School in 1949 and then Dyke College in Cleveland, Ohio. She married Carl Gartner on October 11, 1953. Martha was a member and a contributor to many boards and organizations. A partial list includes the Minerva Red Cross, Blossom Women's Committee, Minerva St. Luke Community planning board, founding member Minerva Historical Association, Great Trail Model A Club, National Carousel Association, and Salvation Army bell ringer. She was a Minerva Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award recipient in 1995. In 2011 she was inducted in to the Minerva High School Hall of Fame. Martha and her husband played bridge with the same couples for over 50 years. Martha and Carl were active with the University of Mt. Union and contributed to the building of the Gartner Welcome Center in 2009. Martha was an active member at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Minerva since 1953. She taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and served on many committees and most recently was involved with the monthly food distribution through the Minerva Community Outreach Program.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Carl, in 2011, parents and granddaughter, Lauren Ellen Gartner. She is survived by children: Keith (Holly) Gartner, Canton, Ohio; Beth (Ken) Farnstrom, Anchorage, Alaska; Molly (Brad) Pirie, Canton, Ohio; and Seth (Claudia) Gartner, Charlotte, North Carolina; 8 grandchildren and a brother, Tom Hawkins, of Minerva, Ohio.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Crossroads Hospice and St. Luke Community-Minerva.

Martha's wish was to be cremated and private family burial in East Lawn Cemetery in Minerva. A memorial service will be held on Friday, November 28, at 2:00 pm at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Minerva. If attending the memorial service, please feel free to bring a canned good for the church's food pantry. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke Foundation-Minerva, 220 Applegrove Street NE, N. Canton, OH 44720 or Minerva Community Outreach at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 515 E. Line Street, Minerva, OH 44657.