Obituary of Martha Juliana Beito

Martha Beito 1912-2011 Martha Julianna Beito (ne Korby), 98, passed away March 31st at home in Scotts Valley where she had been residing for the past five years with her son Robert's family. Martha was born August 5th, 1912, in New York Mills, Minnesota, to John and Hilda Korby both of whom had emigrated from Finland in the late 1800's. They settled in Lead, South Dakota, where her father, John, worked in the Homestake Gold Mine. In 1906 her parents purchased a farm in New York Mills, Minnesota, where Martha was born and raised. She was the 7th of 9 children. Martha graduated from high school at age 16, at the top of her class, in New York Mills. A few years later she moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a waitress. During WWII, Martha worked in the Northern Ordinance Plant in the Twin Cities in support of the war effort. She married Odell Beito in 1944, and following his return from serving in the Army in Europe, they lived in Florida, where she worked in a US Army dental clinic at Camp Blanding. In addition to being an excellent cook, Martha loved to read, was an avid Bridge player who competed in many local tournaments and, if you ask any one at the Scotts Valley Senior Center, a bit of a card shark at Poker. She was also an enthusiastic organic gardener, using composting and other family farm learned techniques long before they became more widely discussed and used by home gardeners. When her health was better she also participated in the Mary Martha / Ruth Rebecca Circle at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz. Martha is survived by her son, Robert, his wife Esther, and grandson, Noah, of Scotts Valley, and by her son, Ronald, and his wife, Linda, of Athens, Georgia. Martha was preceded in death by Odell, her loving husband of 57 years; her parents, and 8 siblings: John, William, Laila Caselius, Linda Raatikka, Edward, Rudolph, Helen St.Clair, Aily Nelson, and Ralph. A memorial service will be held at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, 2500 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, at 3:00 PM on Thursday, April 14th. In leiu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Scotts Valley High School Falcon Club, 555 Glenwood Drive, Ca. 95066.