Martha Jean Wallin

Our Mom, Martha Jean Yowell Wallin, in our eyes a saint, passed away in Jerome, Idaho, at the age of 95 on September 6, 2024. Her youngest sons, Brent and Bruce, and their wives, Lisa and Michelle, were with her. 

She said many times that a good cry was like sending your heart to the laundry. Lately, her family and friends have had a lot of wash.

Mom was an exemplary and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. We credit her great-granddaughter, Maya, with the first labeling of Mom as “Grandma Great.” It “stuck” because that’s exactly what she was.

She was born June 23, 1929, in Pratt, Kansas, to James Jennings and Helen Martha Westling Yowell. She was their oldest child and because her father was the oldest of seven sons, the next generation of Yowell’s started with her birth. The young family migrated to Pocatello, Idaho, in 1935. Mom graduated from Pocatello High School in 1947.

Mom married John William Wallin in Pocatello, Idaho, on November 5, 1950. Where their children were born maps their various Idaho homes: Craig and Dennis in Pocatello; Amy in Wallace; Eileen, Brent, and Bruce in Jerome. When Bruce, the youngest, started school, Mom went to work for the Jerome school district as a teacher’s aide. She retired from that job 22 years later.

Mom was a woman of faith and an active member of the St. Jerome’s Catholic Community. She worked shoulder-to-shoulder on many funeral dinners and bazaars with her CCW (Council of Catholic Women) friends. For many years, she was part of the group that would get together at the church on Monday mornings to count the weekend collections. Mom said her role, truth be told, was to sit on the bills and flatten them out. 

For a while it seemed there wasn’t an election where she wasn’t a poll worker. Mom liked being involved.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Mary Herron; brother, Jim Yowell; husband, John; and daughter, Eileen Donovan.

She is survived by a sister, Karen Swallow; sons, Craig Wallin (Carolyn); Dennis Wallin; Brent Wallin (Lisa); and Bruce Wallin (Michelle); daughter, Amy Harper (Les); 18 grandchildren and many great grandchildren. 

Mom was a very special person. She was nonjudgemental, sympathetic, empathetic, and a great listener. She was warm hearted, and you were comfortable being around her. She always had a story to share, usually about her family, which she adored.

She enjoyed trips to Jackpot and was always hoping to win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. We asked her once what she would do with the money if she ever did win. “North Lincoln needs a gas station and a grocery store,” was her answer. That was an unexpected response.

Mom had a wonderful sense of humor. A classic example: Some years after our father died, someone suggested to Mom (jokingly, of course) that a sure way to meet a new man would be to buy herself a pushup bra, some fishnet stockings, and have someone drop her off at a truck stop. This became a running joke. Imagine the shock at St. Jerome’s when she showed up one Monday morning to count money, dressed in a long sweatshirt and fishnet stockings. There’s a photo that authenticates her boldness. You have to have self-confidence and a great sense of humor to have done that!

Mom’s life was not free of challenges, but she always faced them with resilience, one of her many admirable traits. Another: she played the cards she was dealt. She spent very little time on the pity pot.

The family would like to acknowledge and express heartfelt gratitude to Amy Harper, and husband, Les, for their time, attentive and compassionate concern and care provided for our Mother. The family also appreciates and thanks the staff at Creekside Care Center, especially Becky Mink, for lovingly caring for Mom the last two years.

“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.” (Chuck Palahniuk) Thank you Mom (Grandma Great!) for doing that by leaving all of us with so many wonderful memories.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 am, Monday, October 7, 2024 at St. Jerome's Catholic Church, 216 2nd Ave E, Jerome.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the St. Jerome’s Building Fund.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the families on Jean’s memorial webpage at www.farnsworthmortuary.com.