Roberta Darlene Martin

Roberta Darlene (Kraft) Martin, age 81, passed away on May 17, 2020. Roberta was born June 10, 1938 to her parents, Robert and Lylus Kraft, who lived on a farm near Little Sioux, IA.

Roberta graduated from Little Sioux High School with the class of 1957. She is survived by her husband, Leo Martin after nearly 63 years of marriage. She is also survived by her children, Wendell Martin (fiancé Janette Young) of Boise, ID, Kevin Martin (wife Gemma) of Turner, OR, Cory Martin (wife Tracie) of Oakland, NE, Wesley Martin (wife Kathy) of Elgin, MN, and Melissa Frakes (husband Brent) of Phoenix, AZ; eight grandchildren, Jessica Martin, Jeremy Martin, Steve Martin, Nathan Martin, Austin Martin, Brandon Martin, Amanda Martin and Joshua Martin; siblings, Henry Kraft (wife Deborah), Edwin Kraft (wife Cheryl), Virginia Dillenbeck and Richard Kraft.

She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Roberta considered herself a homemaker, gardener and carpenter. She helped build houses, barns, greenhouses, other building projects and she especially liked to build rock walls. She drove a school bus for Lewis Central for 20 years and taught Sunday school at Southside Christian Church for 35 years to first and second grade classes. She was a member of River City Cactus and Succulent Society for 35 years (Since 1984) and had a nice collection of those plants over the years. She had two and half acres to play on and had flower gardens around the house and in her sunken garden. She helped her husband with the vegetable garden, canned and put vegetables in the freezer every year for more than 50 years. Roberta and a friend had weekend plant sales every year for the past twenty years that were very successful. She started taking painting lessons in 1984; she attended classes and painted with other friends who also loved to paint. She completed at least four paintings every year; she painted baptistery backgrounds for Southside Christian Church as well as a church in Kansas. She loved keeping notebooks full of lists and information on all her many interests and hobbies. She loved to read, had interest in genealogy and had extensive notebooks filled with information and photos of ancestors. She kept journals in later years and wrote in diaries in her childhood and early adult years.

Open viewing and visitation will be Wednesday, May 20, 2020 from 2:00-7:00 PM at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home. The family will be present from 4:00-7:00 PM. Funeral Service is 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the Southside Christian Church.