Martha Ball

Martha Louise Jenks Ball was born in DeKalb, Illinois, on January 7, 1925. She was the only daughter of Ira Jonathan Jenks, a Chemistry Professor at the Northern Illinois State Teacher’s College (NISTC) in DeKalb, and Hattie Eilenberger Jenks. Martha was blessed with a happy childhood growing up in DeKalb with her older brother Herbert, younger brother Warren, and a family German Shepherd/police dog named Sandy. She also spent her summers swimming and boating at a family cottage built by her father at Lake Delevan, Wisconsin. Martha attended the McMurry Elementary School located on the NISTC campus and DeKalb High School before enrolling at NISTC in the fall of 1942. She was engaged to 1st Lt. William R. Baird, a B-24 pilot with the U.S. Army Air Force, in Chicago on the day he left for final crew training in the summer of 1944. Martha’s happy childhood came to an end with the loss of her father to a brain tumor in February 1945 and the death of her fiancée during a bombing mission over Vienna, Austria in March 1945. Martha resolved to continue with the rest of her life by completing her undergraduate degree in Home Economics at NISTC (now Northern Illinois University - NIU) in 1946. She then taught home economics at Minooka High School in Minooka, Illinois (1946-1947) and at Belvedere High School in Belvedere, Illinois (1947-1948). She also chose to begin a master’s degree in Home Economics at the Colorado A&M College in Fort Collins (now Colorado State University - CSU) along with a number of Illinois teachers during the summer of 1947. Martha met her future husband, Sgt. Wilbur P. Ball, a U.S. Army veteran who had been injured in the Philippines in April 1945 and who was completing an undergraduate degree in Agriculture Education, on a blind date at the end of the summer. Martha and Wilbur were married in the Congregational Church of DeKalb on August 8, 1948, after a year-long courtship that was conducted largely by correspondence. Martha later said that he won her over through his letters, his plans for the future, and his Christian faith. Martha and Wilbur began their married life together teaching home economics and agriculture, respectively, at Fleming High School in Fleming, Colorado (1948-1950). They later moved to Berthoud, Colorado, where Wilbur taught agriculture at the Berthoud High School (1950-1953) and completed a master’s degree program in Agriculture Education at Colorado A&M College in Ft. Collins. Their first son, David L. Ball, was born in Longmont, Colorado on January 8, 1951 and their second son, Perry E. Ball, was born in Loveland, Colorado on March 13, 1953. Martha and Wilbur moved again to Ames, Iowa where Wilbur completed a PhD in Agricultural Engineering in (1953-1956). This was followed by a two-year assignment with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Stanford University at the Central Luzon Agricultural College (1956-1958), which was located near the town where Wilbur was injured in 1945. Martha and Wilbur returned to the U.S. in 1958 when Wilbur accepted an Assistant Professor position at the University of California at Fresno (CSUF). Their third son, Jon N. Ball, was born in Fresno on May 3, 1959. Martha and Wilbur bought a family cabin at Hume Lake, California in 1960 where Martha and their three sons spent many happy summers swimming, boating and hiking in the mountains. With the exception of a two-year assignment with the USAID and CSUF at the Agricultural College in Bakh-er-Ruda, the Sudan (1961-1963), Martha and Wilbur lived in the Fresno area until Wilbur retired from CSUF in 1983. Martha completed her master’s degree in Home Economics at CSUF and taught as a substitute teacher of home economics at local high schools during this period. Martha and Wilbur chose to return to Colorado after his retirement and they purposely built their retirement home across the street from the Evangelical Free Church in Eaton, Colorado. Their intention was to always be able to participate in the life of the church even when they were too old to drive. They spent the next 15 years in Eaton while Wilbur wrote books on the history of Northeastern Colorado and worked as a voluntary consultant for agricultural missions in developing countries. Martha accompanied Wilbur on many of his travels and together they visited over 100 countries. Wilbur died after a short and unexpected battle with pancreatic cancer on June 21, 1998. He quietly declared on the day that he died that he had “always loved her” and that she had been his “inspiration” in life. She later said that she never regretted her decision to marry him. Martha wanted to remain in her home in Eaton for as long as she could take care of herself. She explained that she did not want to be a burden on her children and that she hoped to leave something for her children. She remained in her home for 12 years until she decided it was too difficult to live alone. Her son Jon and his family helped her move to the Carrington Pointe retirement community in Fresno, California in June 2010. She quickly made friends at Carrington Pointe and was happy there. She later said she wished she had moved there earlier, which is a tribute to the staff and residents at Carrington Pointe. Martha spent her final days in close contact with her family. She spoke to her son Perry and his wife in Abuja, Nigeria on Sunday, December 12 and spoke to each of his children in Wheaton, Illinois and Arlington, Virginia before they left for a family vacation in Austria. She spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with her son David and his family in Reedley, California. She spent Christmas afternoon with her son Jon and his family in Clovis, California. She called her brother Warren and his wife the next day on Sunday, December 26. She spoke to Jon and his wife again later that evening. Then she left a telephone message for David and his family thanking them for the time she spent with them at Christmas. It was her last known statement. She was found on the floor of her walk-in closet on the morning of Tuesday, December 28. It appears that she died quickly and painlessly as the result of a sudden stroke. Martha is survived by her younger brother, Warren E. Jenks and his wife Dori of Carlsbad, California; her three sons, David L. Ball and his wife Barbara of Reedley, California, Perry E. Ball and his wife Cornelia of Abuja, Nigeria, and Jon N. Ball and his wife Debbi of Clovis, California; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She will be remembered by her family for her industriousness in the home, her friendliness to strangers, her cheerfulness in the face of adversity, her love for her family, and her unquestioning Christian faith. She made her own clothes and cooked from scratch until it was too difficult to do so. She befriended young people and foreign students. She made an effort not to complain. She ended many conversations with family members with the words, “I love you.” And she was thankful for the long and rich life that God had allowed to be her portion in life.

Tributes

Martha Ball

January 7, 1925 - December 28, 2010