Martha Gaer

Martha Neil Gaer, age 80, of Atlantic, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at Heritage House in Atlantic.
Martha was born September 27, 1923, in Fulton, Kentucky to H. B. and Odie Caldwell Houston. After graduating from Fulton High School in 1941, Martha attended Peabody College and Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tennessee and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California in 1946. On June 4, 1946, Martha was united in marriage to Warren Gaer who was the football coach at Pepperdine University. They moved to Des Moines, Iowa in 1949 where Warren was the football coach at Drake University and Martha was a homemaker as well as a grade school teacher. In September 1959, the Gaers moved to Atlantic where Warren was associated with Walnut Grove Products Company and Martha worked part time at Olive's Apparel Shop. Martha attended both the Red Line and Atlantic Churches of Christ. She was active in community organizations such as TeleCare, a volunteer with Cass County Memorial Hospital and a fundraiser for the building of Heritage House.
She is survived by two sons, Doug of Atlantic and Kent and wife Joann of West Des Moines, IA; three grandchildren, David and wife Anne of Des Moines, IA, Steve and wife Sally of West Des Moines, IA and Kevin and wife Courtney of West Des Moines, IA; seven great grandchildren as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents; a sister Shirley and Martha's husband Warren who passed away in January of 1997.
Services for Martha will be held at 11:00 am on May 28, 2004, at the Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic with Jason Zaiger, of the Atlantic Church of Christ, officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 10:00 - 11:00 prior to services at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Red Line Cemetery adjacent to the Red Line Church of Christ. A lunch will be provided by the Red Line and Atlantic Churches of Christ at the Atlantic Church of Christ located at 801 Chestnut immediately following the interment. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Good Samaritan Fund at Heritage House in Atlantic.